


Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Duo

by RSBCS



Category: Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:00:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25606249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RSBCS/pseuds/RSBCS
Summary: Gaito has been defeated, and Mikeru has returned to the ancients. With the peace of the seas restored, the Mermaid Princesses prepare to return to their kingdoms. That is until, a strange machine attempts to capture them. With a new threat arising, the mermaids have to rally together. But this time, they won't be alone when facing this foe.
Relationships: Doumoto Kaito/Nanami Lucia, Hamasaki Masahiro/Touin Rina, Houshou Hanon/Shirai Nagisa, Karen/Subaru (Mermaid Melody), Maki/Nanami Nikora
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	1. The Mermaid Prophecy

**Author's Note:**

> This work is a continuation of the anime, with elements of the manga added at points. Some songs will have their lyrics written up, while others are more original and will just have descriptions on what is being sung.

Chapter 1: The Mermaid Prophecy

On the beaches of East Japan, not too far from a small hotel called Pearl Piari, there sat a girl of about 14-years of age. As she sat on the beach, with her dirty-blond hair being blown by the coastal breeze, she gazed at the waves as a spiky, orange haired surfer continued to ride the rough crests of sea water. The surfer, more commonly known as Kaito Doumoto, glanced back to the girl on the beach, smirked, and gave her a thumbs up. The girl, also known as Luchia Nanami, smiled very cheerfully and waved back.

After a few more minutes of surfing and practicing, Kaito and Luchia hung out on a picnic blanket as Kaito chowed down on the bento Luchia made for him.

"Ah. Doesn't this feel great Luchia?" Kaito sighed, staring out to sea.

"Yeah. It really does feel wonderful," Luchia replied, "It almost feels too good to be true."

But it was with these words that she as reminded about something, which would make this particular afternoon not as enjoyable as Luchia would like it to be. True, she was hanging out with Kaito and everything. It was just that there was a bit of bad news that she needed to share with Kaito. And it involved her other self.

Finding the courage to speak, Luchia told Kaito, "Actually, Kaito, there's something I need to tell you."

Intrigued, Kaito asked what it was. Before Luchia could say anything, he guessed, "It has something to do with you being a Mermaid Princess, right?" Luchia was caught somewhat by surprise, but it didn't startle her that much.

Luchia let her head hang in dismay as she shared what she dreaded to share with Kaito.

"I got a letter from my kingdom in the North Pacific," she explained, "I have to return home tomorrow. Now that the Indian Ocean Mermaid Princess is born, I have to teach her how to be one." This information puzzled Kaito quite a bit.

"How come you can't teach her here? Is something wrong?" Kaito questioned. But honestly, he already had an idea of why she had to return home.

"Onee-chan says that as long as I'm here on the surface, I would be distracted. And that it would be bad for Seira to become too involved in the human world like I have."

"So you have to go back to remind yourself of where you come from?" Kaito surmised. All Luchia did in response was nod. Both of them knew that Luchia couldn't stay on land forever. At some point, she would have to return to the sea, her home.

Still, Kaito smirked and replied "Well, you know what I'll be doing. Living life on the waves and such."

"Aw, Kaito!" Luchia exclaimed, slightly offended, "Don't you care that I might never see you again."

Kaito chuckled a little and told her, "I'll be thinking of you with each passing day." That was the thing with Kaito: sometimes he joked a little too much and Luchia would take it the wrong way and overreact. But even so, he meant well and cared about Luchia just as much as she cared about him. Then, the two gazed into each others eyes, and shared a kiss.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

After that, Luchia returned to Pearl Piari. As she entered the foyer, a girl with agua-colored hair leaped in front of her and bombarded her with questions.

"Luchia, how did it go? Is Kaito going to miss you when you leave? Have you told him yet?"

"Oi, Hanon. Let me come in first."

Her fellow Mermaid Princess, Hoshou Hanon, had a habit of getting into Luchia's love life with Kaito, especially when it did not necessarily involve her.  
So bypassing her, Luchia sat down and recounted what had happened at the beach.

"That's it?" Hanon quizzed when she finished, "I would've thought Kaito would be more concerned about you leaving than how he was." Luchia thought so too, and the thought continued to depress her. She and Kaito had only recently just gotten back together after Kaito overcame some amnesia from an incident while surfing in Hawaii. The fact that they were splitting up so soon saddened her.

Picking up on the mood, Hanon urgently preked back up and assured, "But I'm sure Kaito meant more than what he said. And besides, you won't be away forever. You could sneak back here with Seira whenever you can."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Luchia replied glumly.

"Don't let it get to you Luchia," came Rina, the Green Pearl Mermaid Princess, "No matter what, you and Kaito will always be thinking of each other." As Rina came down from the staircase, she was accompanied by a younger girl with bright, orange hair.

"If you want, we can say that something came up and we have to stay on land, Luchia," Seira suggested. The thought did cross her mind at some point, until a certain penguin in sailor's clothes jumped on the table and chastised,

"Absolutely not! You will not shirk your responsibilities as a Mermaid Princess for some human boy! I simply will not allow it!"

"Hippo, I was only kidding," Seira assured.

"A mermaid princess must not become so fixated on the human world. you must learn to take matters seriously like Luchia-san does, Seira-san. Right, Luchia-san?" But Hippo's interference only caused Luchia to dwell on the thoughts of never seeing Kaito again even more. Luchia wasn't even sure how much more heartache she could take.

To counter this, Hanon grabbed Hippo, muzzled him with her hand, and told Luchia, "Don't worry Luchia. What Hippo meant to say was that you won't be apart for long. You'll teach Seira how to be a Mermaid Princess and be back before you know it. Right, Hippo?" And she glared into Hippo to make sure he got the message.

Pressured by the stare, Hippo replied while still muffled, "Right. What Hanon-san said." Even though she knew her friends meant well, it hurt even more for her friends to comfort her. Without another word, Luchia headed up to hr room for the night.

When she left, Rina told Hippo, "You really ran your mouth today. Luchia's already hurt because she has to leave. The least you could do is help her during this time."

"And encourage her engagement with Kaito?!" Hippo retaliated, "Absolutely unthinkable! I will not allow it!" But the stares from Rina and Hanon caused him to rethink his position. When it came to Luchia, Hippo always lost. However, Seira just gazed up to where Luchia went, feeling empathetic towards her predicament.

* * *

As Luchia was in the bath, her thoughts continued to swirl around her and Kaito. Looking at her tail, she recounted all the times she spent with him. When they went to school together, when they discovered the haunted house and it's secret, the play they were a part of, when Kaito rescued her during a blizzard, even the times when Luchia had to compete with Mikaru who fought for Kaito's affection. All the experiences they had shared, mermaid and human, were priceless to her. But at the same time, she was afraid. Last time they separated, Kaito ended up forgetting her almost completely. What would happen this time?

Once Luchia was done in the bath, she started to finish packing her things away. In the midst of it, she couldn't help looking at the twin-heart ring Kaito gave her when he first went to Hawaii.

"Kaito," Luchia muttered to herself. But then, a tap on the window caught her attention. When she looked outside, she saw Kaito below trying to get her attention.

She opened the window to her balcony, and Kaito called out, "Luchia, come with me."

* * *

Not long after that were Kaito and Luchia sitting on an inlet looking out to sea, a little away from the main shore. Kaito was dressed in his usual white shirt and jeans, however Luchia was in her mermaid form. Her blond hair was longer and tied in two, long pigtails, and her tail was pink.

The sudden meeting surprised Luchia quite a bit. What was Kaito up to right now?

"Luchia. I may not know everything that's going on," Kaito spoke, "but I don't want you to forget that I love you. No matter where you are, I want you to remember that.

"Kaito," Luchia responded in admiration. But she quickly turned sullen and replied, "But what if I never see you again? What should I do then?"

To answer, Kaito gripped Luchia's hand and told her, "Whenever you feel lonely, just look at this to remember me." Then he pulled out his pendant that he used to carry her pearl in and continued, "And I'll always wear this to remember you. No matter where we are or what we are doing, we'll always remember each other." Luchia looked to Kaito, tears swelling up in her eyes. Then she flung herself onto him and began to cry. Kaito hugged her back to comfort her.

"If anything should happen to you," he whispered in her ear, "I'll come find you." And they held in each others embrace while the night wore on.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Early the next morning, Luchia, Hanon, Rina, and Seira stood on the beach to see Luchia and Seira off. But they were also waiting for Kaito to come see Luchia off. But he was late.

"Geez. How long does Kaito expect us to wait for him?" Hanon complained.

"Be patient. Kaito will show up," Rina assured her.

"That's what you said a few minutes ago," Hanon moaned, "and Luchia is already late." Luchia was also worried. Kaito had promised to see her off, but he wasn't showing up.

"Luchia," Seira spoke to her mentor. Then Hippo arrived, which meant that they couldn't wait any longer.

"Alright, Luchia-san, Seira-san," Hippo proclaimed, "let us return to the North Pacific palace.

"Yeah," Luchia replied.

But before she and Seira started walking to the sea, they heard Kaito cry out, "Luchia!" Turning back around, Luchia and the others spotted Kaito running towards them.

Her sense of joy returning to her, Luchia ran to him and called back, "Kaito!"

"Luchia-san, wait! We need to-" Hippo started. But he was quickly stopped by Hanon and Rina, who kept him from saying anymore. Once the two met up, Kaito took a little time to catch his breath.

"Kaito. You really came," Luchia said, beaming.

"Well, yeah. You didn't think I was going to let you leave without saying good-bye, right?" Kaito replied. Luchia immediately felt overjoyed. Once Kaito caught his breath, he picked up Luchia and carried her to the water.

"Uh, Kaito?" Luchia said, puzzled.

"Just one more time," was all he would say in reply. Once he was far enough, Kaito dove underwater with Luchia in tow. Once under, he let her go as they gazed at each other one last time before they shared a kiss.

Until, "Luchia-san, we must go," Hippo urged the mermaid princess.

"Farewell, Kaito," Luchia whispered to him. And then she followed Seira and Hippo home. After they had gone some distance, Kaito swam for the surface.  
Once his head broke through, he muttered, "Farewell, Luchia."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

The days rolled by in their usual fashion. Hanon and Rina spent some time with their boyfriends when they could. Kaito continued to surf to train himself for upcoming surf tournaments. But each time he did, Kaito would glance back at the shore for Luchia, only to remember that she had gone home to the sea. School was no different. During class, Kaito would glance back at her desk, but he found it empty each time.

The weekend after Luchia's departure, Kaito visited a huge mansion on the coastline. The residents of the mansion were friends of his from his accident in Hawaii. When he rang the doorbell, a man with salty-grey hair answered.

"Ah Kaito. A pleasure to see you again," the man greeted warmly.

"Hello, Rihito-san." Kaito returned, "Is Mikaru home?"

Instead of answering, a young girl's voice rang out, "Onii-sama, who is it?" Then, a child no older than four appeared next to Rihito.

"Hello Mikaru," Kaito greeted the child.

"Hello, Kaito-san," the young Mikaru returned cheerfully. Even though Kaito became used to this, he still remembered the Mikaru he knew before.

* * *

After Kaito spent some time playing with Mikaru, Rihito took her up to bed to rest as night approached. When he came back, he noticed how distracted Kaito was.

"You're still feeling guilty about what happened with Mikaru and Luchia?" he quizzed.

"Huh?" Kaito responded, before comprehending the question asked and answering, "oh no, that's not it. Not entirely."

"It's alright," Rihito assured, "we can't change what happened. What's done is done. Besides, it might be better this way." Kaito knew he meant Mikaru, but that wasn't on his mind right now. "I guess Luchia went home for something important?" Rihito asked. Kaito didn't respond. But he didn't need to.

"It's hard, letting someone go even for a little while," Rihito continued, "I know for a fact that Luchia felt the same way when you were gone. It's only natural."

Still facing out the window, Kaito inquired, "Rihito-san, what should I do? I've never felt like this before. What can I do?"

Rihito got up, rested a hand on Kaito's shoulder, and replied, "Never lose faith."

* * *

Once Kaito's visit with Rihito was finished, Kaito returned to his home. This place also reminded him of Luchia. One time, when he fell ill, Luchia had come over to care for Kaito, and went somewhat out of control with her emotions. Then another time, during his amnesia period, he found her in his house while she had been cleaning it up. Once he entered, Kaito looked out towards the sea again as he continued to remember Luchia.

"Luchia," he muttered softly.

But then, without warning, Kaito found himself at the bottom of the ocean. In front of him stood the North Pacific Palace.

"What the-? What's going on?!" he exclaimed.

Then Luchia's voice cried out, "Kaito!" And the scene shifted again. Above Kaito was a giant robot. In it's claws was some kind of person. Kaito focused on said person, and discovered it to be Luchia!

"Luchia!" Kaito called out to her.

"Kaito! Save me!" Luchia pleaded. Then the claw retracted to a row of capsules in its chest, and placed Luchia in one of them. Then it sealed it up, and disappeared.

"LUCHIA!" Kaito yelled. In the impulse, he banged his hand on the window. As he reeled from the shock, Kaito pondered what he had just seen. Somehow, he knew it connected to Luchia and that she was somehow in trouble. He figured it was partly because of his being a Panterrassa, a clan of sorcerers linked to a dark past. So for some reason, Kaito knew he had to do something. And he knew two mermaids who could help.

* * *

As the phone rang on, Kaito tapped his foot nervously while waiting for the other end.

"Hello. Pearl Piari," Rina's voice came on the receiver.

"Rina, it's me," Kaito replied urgently.

"Kaito?" Rina questioned, startled by Kaito's urgency, "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Luchia's in trouble. Bring Hanon, and meet me in front of Pearl Piari," Kaito told her.

"Okay. But what's wrong?"

"I'll tell you then. But hurry." And Kaito hung up. Then he ran out of the house to meet with them.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

In the meantime, Luchia was in her room, staring at her reflection in her mirrors. Several days had gone by, and the one thing on the forefront of Luchia's thoughts was Kaito. Even when she was teaching Seira, her mind wandered more often than not back to him. Thankfully, Seira understood Luchia's predicament and helped her avoid a riot among the other mermaids. In reality, Luchia only needed to teach her one thing: how to love. That was a task given to her by the original Orange Pearl Mermaid Princess, Sara. For Seira already knew about being a Mermaid Princess.  
But in her mind's wanderings, one of the mermaids entered the room.

"Luchia-sama," she started, "It is time for tonight's session."

"Very well. I'll meet with Seira by the fountain," Luchia responded. So she drifted off for another teaching session.

Waiting for her by the fountain, Seira immediately perked up as Luchia approached.

"Luchia," she greeted. And although Luchia knew her responsibility came first, she still could not help feeling down about missing Kaito.

"Are you ready for tonight's lesson, Seira?" she inquired.

"I'm ready. But, are you sure that you're ready?" The question struck Luchia like a bee sting. She figured Seira would pick up on her lack of dedication to teach. But she was still unprepared for how to respond.

As she looked to her ring, Luchia sank to the ground as she replied, "I don't believe I am."

Seira knelt down next to her, and comforted, "Luchia, maybe we should skip today's lesson. We could sneak back to the surface and visit Kaito again. We don't have to keep doing this."

But Luchia shook her head and told Seira, "The sooner I am able to teach you everything about being a mermaid princess, the sooner we can return to the surface. Back to Hanon, Rina, and...Kaito."

But then, Hippo came rushing over to the two mermaid princesses, looking frantic. "Luchia-san, Seira-san, We're in trouble!"

"Trouble?" Luchia wondered, "What kind of trouble?"

"Some huge object was spotted approaching the palace," he informed frantically, "It must be human because we don't know what it is." After hearing this, Luchia and Seira swam out of the palace to investigate.

* * *

What they saw puzzled them. Several feet above them, dropping like a stone, was a mammoth-sized robot. The contraption had various claws on its body, and massive treads on the bottom for feet. The head looked like an old-fashioned diver's helmet from colonial times. Once it crashed down near the palace, the two figured that it was trouble.

"Finally!" boomed a mechanical voice from the giant, "After all my years of research, I've found it. One of the legendary mermaid kingdoms."

Finding her courage, Luchia called back, "Who are you? And what do you intend to do here?"

"Nothing that is of your concern. As you are about to become property of Dr. Hishki." Suddenly, one of its claws shot out for the mermaid princesses. Luchia managed to dodge it, but then more of them tried to catch them. So the two dodged and avoided the onslaught as much as they could. But in the midst of it, one of the claws torpedoed its way towards Seira at high speed.

"Seira!" Luchia cried out as she raced to her. She shoved her out of the way as the claw caught its new target.

"Luchia!" Seira gasped. Luchia tried breaking out of the robot's grip, but it was too strong.

"What an excellent specimen. I'd wager that you will provide valuable data in my research," the robot said maliciously, "And soon, I'll reveal the truth about you mermaids to the world."

"Kaito! Save me!" Luchia screamed out in agony, "KAITO!"

* * *

Not too far away, Hanon and Rina were leading Kaito to the North Pacific Palace. As they approached, they spotted the giant robot standing next to the palace.

"Wha-What is that?!" Hanon exclaimed.

"Is that supposed to be a machine?" Rina questioned. But Kaito recognized what it was. It was the same robot from his vision. As they got closer, the mermaids and Kaito saw two other mermaids in the midst of the action. The sight caused Kaito to gasp, for Luchia was one of the mermaids the robot caught, and Seira was trying to free her.

"Luchia!" Kaito cried out. Then he sped off past Hanon and Rina to rescue Luchia.  
As he approached, Seira displayed much surprise to his arrival.

"Kaito! What are you doing here?" Seira asked urgently. The question caught Luchia's attention, and she too spotted Kaito. But rather than answer, Kaito went to work trying to free Luchia.

"Well what do we have here?" the robot inquired, "How can someone find such a place as this? Who are you boy?" Again, Kaito put his focus on the task at hand. But still, the claw refused to open.

"Seira, go get Hippo," Luchia requested. Understanding the order, Seira swam back to the palace. But both Kaito and Luchia feared it may be too late. For the claw began retracting back towards the mech's torso, towards a row of capsules. Frantic to prevent his vision from coming true, Kaito struggled even more to free Luchia.

"I've had just about enough of you boy," the robot furiously spoke, "Begone!" And it swung another claw to swat Kaito towards the palace.

"KAITO!" Luchia cried out. And her feelings caused her pearl to radiate a strong glow, which shattered the robot's claw. the effort caught the robot off-guard and in surprise. But once free, Luchia joined Hanon and Rina a little bit out of its reach.

"Luchia, are you okay?" Hanon inquired. But Luchia wasn't thinking of herself right now. instead, she felt enraged that the robot would hurt Kaito.

Still, she kept calm and replied, "I'm fine. Let's do it. Hanon, Rina." Both mermaids agreed, and the transformation began.

So now, the mermaid's pendants opened and enabled their pearls to transform into microphones.

" **Pink Pearl Voice!** " Luchia gained lacy-pink gloves that flared out at her mid-forearm, boots with the same style frills mid-calf, and a small dress with frilled straps over her shoulders.

" **Agua pearl Voice!** " Hanon's costume looked a lot like Luchia's, but was aquamarine in color and lacked straps over the shoulders.

" **Green Pearl Voice!** " Rina's outfit entailed long gloves that almost reached her shoulders and were green in color, and she had on a long dress of the same color that went down to her ankles.

Once the transformation was complete, the thee figures stood inside their Live Stage, ready to sing their song. This in turn began to play a particular tune.

"Alright! Pichi Pichi Voice, Live Start!" the three proclaimed.  
And they began to sing a most notable song: "Legend of Mermaid."

_**Nanairo no kaze ni fukarete** _   
**_Tooi misaki wo mezashiteta_ **

_**Yoake mae kikoeta MERODII** _   
_**Sore wa totemo natsukashii uta** _

_**Higashi no sora he to habataku toritachi** _   
_**Saa... takarajima no nukera chikamichi** _

_**Nanatsu no umi no rakuen** _   
_**Arashi no yoru no ato ni wa** _

_**Ai wo tsutaeru** _ _**tame** _

_**inochi ga mata umareru** _

_**Nanatsu no kuni no MERODIA** _   
_**Daremo ga itsuka wa koko wo** _   
_**Tabidatsu hi ga kitemo** _   
_**Watashi wa wasurenai** _

As the three sung, cracks began to develop on the mechs arms and the capsules in its chest. So many cracks appeared that the machine neared breaking.

Once the mermaids were done singing, they called out, "Love Shower Pitch!" And the arms and capsules finally shattered. "How about an encore?" the three asked their sole audience member.

"I must admit, I am surprised by your power," was what it said in reply, "but I've got a trick or two up my sleeve too." One last claw shot out at the three, threatening to capture them in one fell swoop. But then, a hippocampus charged into the claw, and shattered it with his power.

"Are you alright? Luchia-san? Hanon-san? Rina-san?" Hippo inquired of the mermaid princesses.

"Hippo! We're alright," Luchia answered.

"Great timing, Hippo," Rina told him in gratitude. But the celebration had to be cut short. For just then, a larger claw dropped down and clung to the severely damaged machine.

"You've won this round," the robot threatened, "But I will return, and bring you into view with the world. Then your power, and fame, will be mine." And it was quickly lifted away, leaving everyone to wonder what would happen now.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"Kaito. Kaito!" came Luchia's voice, though somewhat distant. Finally regaining consciousness, Kaito awoke to her calling him. And he was glad to discover it was not a trick of his mind. Luchia, now in mermaid form, floated over him with a worried expression that quickly changed to relief as he awoke. Then he remembered, and immediately bolted upright.

"The machine! it didn't-" he recalled frantically.

But Luchia shook her head and told him, "It's gone. It didn't take anyone." With that, Kaito let out a sigh of relief. He intervened just in time. As Luchia helped him up, Hanon and Rina arrived with Seira and Hippo.

"Phew! We were lucky," Hanon sighed.

"Yeah. Who knows what would have happened if you didn't have that vision Kaito," Rina added.

"Vision?" Luchia quizzed.

"The reason we rushed here was because I had a vision of you being captured by that robot," Kaito admitted sheepishly.

"At first, Rina and I didn't believe him," Hanon inputted, "But he was so dedicated to preventing it that we decided to bring him here. And it was a good thing too, considering you acted rather rashly." That last sentence was spoken to tease Luchia.

"Hanon!" Luchia grumbled.

But that matter was left hanging when Rina brought up, "But now that we know that that robot knows where this place is, it's no longer safe to stay. And if we go to any of the other kingdoms, we'll only be putting them in danger too." Everyone pondered this for a moment, troubled by the fact that they were no longer safe at home anymore.

And much to everyone's surprise, Seira broke the mood by suggesting, "Well, if we can't stay hidden in the sea, why don't we hide on land? No one would think to look for us there." Hippo was about to protest, but Hanon kept his beak shut as she agreed to the suggestion. Pretty soon, everyone agreed that hiding on land was a better method with that robot around. And after winning Hippo over to their side, and after many farewells, the gang swam for the surface.


	2. Sick Spell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mermaids return to their lives on the surface with Seira in tow, but things quickly go awry when Luchia comes down with an illness.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

A couple days later, Hanon and Rina waited in the dining area of Pearl Piari for Luchia so that they could go to school. Hanon wore the girl's outfit: a white, short-sleeved shirt with a sailor's cape, and a red skirt. Rina, however, wore the boy's uniform: A white, long-sleeved, collared shirt and blue pants. Hanon sighed in a bored fashion, sounding rather exasperated.

"Hey Luchia, hurry up. We're going to be late," Rina urged.

"In a minute," Luchia called back. Immediately following, Seira came downstairs very energetically, also dressed for school. Because she was still technically younger than the other girls, she would be attending the same school as Luchia and the others, but with the first year students. Along with Seira's arrival, Hippo hopped onto the table to discuss matters with the three mermaid princesses. But then, he also noticed that Luchia wasn't with them yet.

"What's taking Luchia-san so long?" he wondered in agitation, "She must not fall in love with that Kaito-boy."

"But Kaito isn't really all human," Hanon brought up, "Part of him is Panterrassa."

"That just makes it even more inconceivable," Hippo retorted.

"But isn't it okay to at least love someone, no matter who they are?" Seira asked.

"Absolutely not!" Hippo chastised the young girl. "If you mermaid princesses fall in love, you'll start thinking funny. And when you start thinking funny, you might confess you're a mermaid. And when you reveal that you are a mermaid, you turn into bubbles!"  
Not too long after, the group spotted Lucia coming down the stairs. Strangely though, her steps were shaky and caused her to lose her balance every now and then.

But once she reached the bottom, Luchia greeted, "Good morning. Shall we go?"

"Luchia, are you alright?" Hanon inquired of her shaky friend.

"I'm fine. We have to hurry to school, or we'll be late." Though dubious about her answer, the three girls followed along.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Kaito strolled to the front gate, not entirely anxious for another school day to start. When he had the vision of Luchia being captured, it completely unnerved him. What would happen if he had another dream during class? Was he really going to be able to handle what it would cause? But he decided to forget about it. For the time being, he would have to live his life as normally as he could. And that's when he spotted Luchia and the others.

"Hey, Luchia," he called out to her.

Luchia turned to see him, and returned, "Hi Kaito." But suddenly, she started swaying and Hanon had to catch her. The movement created concern inside Katio. Luchia assured her friends she was fine, and continued to school. Kaito, on the other hand, could tell that something was wrong. And he didn't like it one bit.

But Kaito never got the chance to confront Luhia on the matter. Once in the classroom, the teacher began their lesson. Katio kept half his attention on the lesson, and the other half on Luchia. She didn't look right to him. Normally, Luchia was very peppy and upbeat, and then somewhat of a nervous wreck around him. But today, she seemed sloppy and uncoordinated, a characteristic that wasn't her.

Then the teacher called up Luchia to complete something for the lesson on the board. But as Luchia got up, she started swaying and swooning as she stepped to the front of the room. Before she reached it, she fell forward and collapsed. The classroom became abuzz with shock. Kaito rushed to her side, flanked by Hanon and Rina. Kaito checked her forehead to read her temperature, and found it to be dangerously hot. Luchia was running a fever!

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Kaito, Hanon, and Rina helped the teacher take Luchia to the nurse's office. After school, they returned to see how she was doing. Sadly, they were informed that she was very ill, but it was not known what the cause was. So the nurse called Nikora to come pick her up.

After Nikora dropped Luchia off in her room, Hanon and Rina arrived after picking up Seira.

"How is Luchia?" Hanon asked Nikora.

With a heavy sigh, Nikora answered, "She's still very sick. Hippo is watching her now." This made the three girls very worried. Luchia becoming sick wasn't all that scary, but this type of sickness was different.

"How could Luchia become so sick all of a sudden?" Seira pondered worriedly.

"How indeed." came Taki, the hotels fortune teller. Her sudden appearance scared the lights out of the group.

"T-Taki-san!" Rina exclaimed, "What are you saying?"

The elder gazed into her crystal ball that she carried, humming intensely. "A sudden illness has taken hold in Luchia," she prophesied, "a trial unlike any other. The cost great should she fail." Now normally, Taki's fortunes were never really accurate. More often than not, all she said was simply to scare everyone. But this time, dubious or not, everyone grew concerned by this.

"W-What cost, Taki-san?!" Hanon wigged out.

"Should she fail," Taki answered, "Luchia may never wake again." If the panic in the room wasn't evident before, it was now.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Kaito stopped by Pearl Piari to see how Luchia was doing. He thought her fever wasn't a normal one, and that it somehow connected to her mermaid side. If that was the case, he believed had to do something to help her.

Once he rang the doorbell, Hanon answered the door and allowed him to come inside. As Kaito did, Taki appeared in front of him unexpectedly.

"A strange tide has come in," she muttered. Her sudden appearance freaked Kaito out.

"Wh-Who are you?!" Kaito exclaimed. He had never met Taki before, and was completely unsettled by her behavior.

"That's Taki-san, our fortune teller," Hanon introduced as she led Kaito away.

"Fortune teller?" Kaito asked skeptically.

"Yeah. But don't mind her. Let's go and see Luchia," And the two headed up for the room.

While Taki stared at where they left, she mumbled, "A strange tide. But is it good, or bad?"

* * *

Just outside Luchia's room stood Hanon and Kaito. The boy wasn't sure what he could do to help. Was coming here a mistake?

It didn't matter to Hanon, for she said, "Well, first visit is yours." And she pushed him in rather forcibly while shutting the door behind him.

"Oy. Never get a chance to decide with her, do I?" he pondered afterward. But Kaito pushed past it and went to Luchia's bedside.

Luchia was still the same as when Kaito last saw her. She laid in bed, asleep, panting as if she swam a marathon. She was sweating feverishly too. Just as Kaito sat down next to her, the bathroom door opened and Hippo came waddling out.

When he spotted Kaito in the room, he demanded, "Wha-What are you doing here?! You're not supposed to be here! Luchia-san needs to be left alone!"

But Kaito quickly quieted him down and replied, "I only came to check on her. Calm down." Hippo wasn't going to leave Kaito alone with Luchia. Still, he agreed to keep his voice down, but still gave Kaito the stink eye whenever he got the chance.

After that, Kaito and Hippo worked together watching over Luchia. Hippo rechecked her temperature, while Kaito got a fresh wet cloth to cool down Luchia's forehead.

As he laid the towel over her forehead, Luchia suddenly squinted and whispered, "Kaito. Kaito." The action startled Kaito.

But then Hippo told him, "She's been doing that for a while now. Luchia always mutters 'Kaito. Kaito,' every once in a while."

"But why?" Kaito inquired.

"Besides that she cares for you, I really don't know." As Kaito continued to observe, he saw that Luchia seemed almost in pain. Whatever illness-dream she was having seemed to have been torturing her. Figuring it would at least comfort her, Kaito slipped his hand into hers.

When Hippo spotted this, he immediately tried to separate them, chastising, "No no no! This will not happen!" Kaito would've lost his grip, except that Luchia seemed to be grasping his hand in response to its presence. Before long, Hippo gave up and just pouted in the corner, muttering about how irresponsible Luchia was behaving, even while asleep.

But Kaito began to notice something about Luchia. Her expression was calmer than earlier, and she was breathing normally. She still whispered Kaito's name after every other breath, but she seemed to be better than before. It filled Kaito with a sense of wonder, that Luchia was doing better when he held her hand. Was there something about this illness that linked to him?

Just then, the door burst open, pancaking Hippo behind. In the doorway stood an elderly man with a crop of white hair, wearing a lab coat and a stethoscope, and carrying s small doctor's handbag.

"Excuse me," the doctor greeted when he spotted Kaito, "but is the patient, Luchia Nanami, residing here?"

"Uh, yeah. This is her," Kaito answered, startled by the sudden intrusion, "are you here to look at her illness?"

"Why yes, my good sir," replied the doctor flamboyantly, "I was called by the hotel manager to check on the miss."

"Oh. Well, okay," Kaito got up to leave, slipping his hand out of Luchia's. In that moment, Luchia began to wince and shiver without reason.

"This looks serious," the man said as he observed the phenomenon, "you'd best to leave me to tend to her alone for the time being." And he ushered Kaito out the door, and shut him out.

* * *

Facing no alternatives, Kaito decided to wait in the lobby with the others. As he came down the steps, he spotted Nikora, Hanon, and Rina trying to comfort Seira, who looked shaken. When Hanon and Rina saw him come down, they confronted him with concern.

"Kaito, did a doctor go up to see Luchia?" Hanon interrogated.

"Yeah, just now," Kaito responded, "he said that it was something he needed to check alone. But, did you guys call him here?" Hanon's question coupled with Seira's behavior told him that something wasn't right. And when the girls shook their heads no, he became convinced.

"That man just barged in and was scaring Seira with one of his needles," Rina explained, "we were lucky Nikora-san intervened when she did." A sudden agreement came across everyone in the room, and the two girls and Kaito rushed up the steps to Luchia's room.

* * *

When they reached the door, they found it to be locked.

"My progress cannot be interrupted," the man said from inside, "please wait a while longer."

"Let us in!" Kaito yelled through the door, "Hippo, open the door! Luchia! LUCHIA!" Then Kaito and Rina tackled the door, attempting to knock it down. With each attempt, Kaito thrusted his whole body into the effort. But the three continued to worry with each passing second. Whoever was in there obviously meant to do something to Luchia while she was incapacitated. And with Hippo not responding, that made it even more urgent for them to get inside.  
After several attempts, they managed to bust open the door. They saw that the doctor was prepping a needle, but it was empty. Without another thought, Kaito charged the man and swatted the needle away.

Then he gripped the man's coat and interrogated, "Who are you?! And what were you doing with Luchia?!"

"Please young man, the patient cannot take anymore trauma right now," the man warned.

"Answer me!" Kaito growled. He seethed with anger at the stranger's intrusion. He had meant to harm Luchia without his or the others knowing. There was no way Kaito would let him get away with this.

But then, Luchia spoke out, "Kaito." When he looked to her, he saw that she was awake. Immediately, Kaito calmed down, releasing the man and setting himself next to her.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

With a nod, Luchia replied, "I'm a little better." And she and Kaito held hands.

While the faux doctor made his way to the door, Hanon and Rina barred his way and interrogated, "Who really sent you?"

The doctor dipped his head so what hair he had shadowed his eyes, and answered, "The new founder of the mermaids." And he charged between the girls, slipping by, and escaped out of the hotel.

"Hanon, let's go!" Rina suggested. And they took off after him.

* * *

The doctor fled, hoping to get away before the residents could call the authorities. He had thought he had gotten away, until two girls in flashy outfits impeded his progress. The Mermaid Princesses.

"Trying to harm an innocent girl is unforgivable." Rina spoke.

"Hope you're ready." Hanon warned.

"Pichi Pichi Voice, Live Start!"

And the two began to sing their song, "Ever Blue."

_**Sore wa EVER BLUE kagayaku** _

_**daisuki na ano umi yo** _

_**Mirai wo mamoru** _

_**Chikara wo ima atsumete** _

_**Aisubeki hito ga ite** _

**_Aisubeki basho ga aru_ **

**_Kirameku aosa_ **

**_PURE na kimochi no mama de_ **

**_mamorutame ni_ **

The two sung, hoping to do something to the man. But he was completely unfazed. A water demon would be unable to bear the power of the Mermaid Princess's song. But the man wasn't, and the two took notice.

"You're not affected?" Hanon quizzed.

"Of course. I'm not a water demon like what you're used to," the man responded, "so your songs cannot affect me. However, you have made it easy for me to capture you, Mermaid Princesses." Then he hit a switch in his bag, and a robot much like the one that attacked Luchia's home rose from the sea and stormed up the beach. This didn't look well for Hanon and Rina. Without Luchia, their power wasn't as strong as it normally would be.

"And now, to claim the property of me, Dr. Hishki!" But the guy never got to launch the attack, because Luchia came up to the scene with Kaito.

" **Pink Pearl Voice!** " And however sick she was, Luchia went over, transformed, to join her friends. Kaito remained hidden behind the doctor's sight.  
The two other Mermaid Princesses were surprised by Luchia's arrival, but she told them, "Let's do this! Hanon! Rina!"

The three friends then initiated their second transformation. With it, their costumes began to change. Rina's dress gained a double skirt while the bodice was altered a bit, Luchia's outfit grew slightly longer with more frills, Hanon's lengthened too and had an aqua bow at the small of her back. Luchia's and Hanon's boots grew in height and their gloves grew larger, Rina's heels raised higher, And Rina and Luchia gained headdresses.

Once they finished transforming, they readied their next song for the doctor.  
"Alright! Pichi Pichi Voice, Live Start!" And they sang their song, "Perfect Harmony."

**_Arashi no umi ni utarete makesou na ima wo_ **

**_Furiharae ai wo mitsumete konon mune ni_ **

**_Tachiagaru yo nando demo yakusoku no tame ni_ **

**_Shakunetsu no RAITO wo abite shibui ga mau_ **

**_Taiyou yori mo atsuku atsuku atsuku_ **

**_Utagoe was motto takaku takaku takaku_ **

**_Ima koso_ **

**_Ima koso_ **

**_Hageshii KODOU afuredasu ai no MERODII_ **

**_Takanau KODOU shinjitsu wa tatta hitotsu_ **

**_Kumori no nai kagami ni utsushite_ **

**_Tsutaware KODOU wakiagaru ai no chikara_ **

**_Soshite umareru atsui PAAFEKUTO HAAMONII_ **

The song once again caused the machine to crumble and crack. This time, though, it was the entire thing that was reaching the breaking point.

Once the Mermaid Princesses were finished with their song, they called out, "Love Shower Pitch!" And the mech shattered. "How about an encore?"

"Grr! You managed to win this time," Dr. Hishki roared, "but you all will be mine soon enough. Make no mistake." Then a small sub surfaced in the waters, and the doc made his getaway. Kaito and the girls would have gone after him, but then Luchia fell to her knees from exhaustion. So they let him get away.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

After the three got Luchia back to her room to rest, Hanon, Rina, and Kaito gathered around her bed to discuss what had just happened.

"That man, Dr. Hishki," Rina pondered, "he seems intent on capturing us."

"But why does he? What does he want with us?" Hanon moaned. No one had an idea as to what he did want.

No one, except, "I think I know," Luchia spoke. With everyone's attention on her, she explained, "When that man first attacked the North Pacific Palace, he said he was going to reveal us to the world once he caught us."

"Reveal you?" Kaito questioned. But the fear soon kicked in. If Dr. Hishki revealed Luchia and the others to the world that they were mermaids, then they would disappear. This was probably he worst scenario the group found themselves in.

"But shouldn't this doctor guy know what will happen if he reveals our identities?!" Hanon posed the question.

Rina pondered this, then answered, "I believe he doesn't know. He may not even be aware of the consequences."

"Either way, we must be careful," Kaito advised, "we cannot let that man catch any of you." Everyone agreed to this, and Hanon and Rina left the room. Kaito stayed with Luchia as she fell back to sleep, now with a new reason to protect her.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

A few days later, Luchia recovered from her illness and was back to her normal self. She was in a chipper mood as she walked with her friends to school. Though the same couldn't be said for Kaito. When Luchia met up with him at the school gates, Kaito's face looked red. And not from embarrassment.

"Looks like your sick spell fell on me," Kaito joked.

"Aw Kaito, you got sick right when I got better!" Luchia complained. But then added, "Don't worry. I'll be sure to come by your house and care for you until you are all better." Kaito remembered the fiasco last time Luchia took care of him. And he wasn't looking for a repeat of that incident.

"Uh, no thanks Luchia," he replied, "besides, I'm not that sick."

"Kaito." But then Kaito ran off for class, chased by Luchia, while Hanon and Rina laughed at the scene playing out.


	3. Aquamarine Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanon is visited by a surprise face: Meru. But her arrival spurs conflict with her boyfriend Nagisa. Will Hanon choose her duty as a Mermaid Princess? Or disregard it for her love?

* * *

In a secret lab somewhere in the ocean, the scientist, Dr. Hishki, stood staring at a peculiar slab of stone.

"Twice I have been forced to retreat at my time of victory," he muttered. "And all by their singing. It seems to me that I have underestimated their power." As he placed the stone on the machine, he continued, "Machines won't accomplish my task. Not yet. So until they do, I'll use this fossil to bring help. To gather all the data I need to capture the mermaid princesses once and for all."

As the machine operated, three figures began to materialize in three tubes behind the doctor.

"So now, I must fight fire with inferno!"

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Meanwhile, in the ocean waters near Japan, Hanon was enjoying a nice, relaxing swim in the open seas. Taking a bath at Pearl Piari was nice, but nothing beats swimming in the ocean. As Hanon surfaced, she gazed at the majestic sight of the full moon.

"Such a pretty night," she said to herself. But then, a strange feeling of sorrow fell over her. And she realized why.

Even though Hanon loved Nagisa now, she still remembered her first love: Tarou Mitsuki. A music teacher at one time, Hanon tried to win a place in his heart so that Mitsuki-sensei would love her too, despite that he was older than her. But Tarou loved another mermaid instead, Sara, and just could not return Hanon's feelings. It took a while for Hanon's feelings to adjust, but she soon began loving Nagisa after spending some time with him.

After that had settled down, Hanon decided to call it a night, and returned home.

* * *

The afternoon of the next day, Hanon sat on the beach, gazing out to sea, contemplating. It was then that a surprise visitor showed up.

"Hanon-sama!" somebody called out. Startled by the call, Hanon looked around for who had called out to her. But she wasn't able to find them, until a young girl popped up from below the waves. Correction: a young, aqua mermaid.

"Hi, Hanon-sama," Meru greeted.

"Eh?!" Hanon exclaimed, "M-Meru? What are you doing here?"

"I came by to see you, Hanon-sama," Meru replied. "And the new Orange Pearl Mermaid Princess."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

After their initial meeting, Hanon took Meru to Pearl Piari to see everyone.

"Hi, Meru," Luchia greeted first.

"I's been awhile," Rina added.

"Hello, Luchia-sama, Rina-sama," Meru returned. "It's great to see everyone again." Hanon explained to them the reason Meru came by for a visit. And before anyone could begin speaking, Meru spotted Seira coming downstairs.

"Ah, Seira-sama!" she exclaimed. "I'm Meru, from Hanon-sama's kingdom. It's so great to finally meet you."

"Um, hi Meru," Seira replied awkwardly.

"Wow! You look like we could be the same age. That's so cool!"

"Seems Meru hasn't changed much," Rina spoke as she watched the interaction between the two youngest mermaids.

"Yep. That's Meru," Luchia agreed.

Then, the doorbell rang. When Hanon went to answer it, she found a boy with dark-blue hair waiting for her.

With a smirk, Nagisa asked, "You ready to go, Hanon?" Hanon nodded, and let everyone know that she was leaving, then headed out with Nagisa on his two-seat bicycle.

"Aw!" Meru moaned. "But I had to tell Hanon-sama something. And it was important too."

"What was important?" Luchia asked her curiously.

* * *

Nagisa continued to pedal him and Hanon along the coast. Where to, Hanon was still unsure of. Nagisa never had any particular destination in mind when he went with her on any of their dates.

Eventually, Hanon got tired of not knowing and demanded, "Nagisa! Where are you taking us this time?!"

"You'll see." was his only response back. So Hanon bore with the unknown.

After a bit more riding, Nagisa stopped by an ice cream stand. The two ordered their favorites, then went and sat on the beach as they enjoyed their treats.

But Hanon had barely eaten her ice cream when Nagisa asked, "Hey Hanon, what do you think about the ocean?"

"Eh? What's with that? Why would you ask me something so random?" Hanon responded.

"It's just... I see you and your friends sometimes staring off into the horizon, almost like you miss something." Hanon was a little startled that Nagisa would ask her something like this out of the blue. Still, she figured it wouldn't hurt to talk a little bit about her home.

"I just try to remember about places out there, and looking out to sea helps me," Hanon elaborated. "I look out to the horizon and try to remember what they were like when I was there." Hanon let that sit as she continued to eat her ice cream.

Once she was done, Nagisa asked, "Do you want to go swimming?" Hanon only then noticed he had worn his swim trunks today.

"Huh? Right now?!" Hanon quizzed worriedly.

"Well yeah. The waves are nice, and the current shouldn't be too rough. Let's go for it!" Hanon immediately tried to think of an excuse to get out of swimming. If she transformed in front of Nagisa, not only would he discover her secret of being a mermaid, but she would turn to bubbles almost instantly upon entering the ocean. She could almost imagine the scene playing out exactly like that.

The she came upon an idea. She began quivering with a grim expression on her face.

Nagisa took notice to the change and asked, "Hanon? What's wrong?"

"Well, actually, I'm very afraid of the water," she fibbed. "I've heard all those stories about monsters living in the ocean, and I'm just too scared to go in."

"Huh? But you're always gazing out to sea. How can you be scared now?" he questioned.

"Looking out to sea I'm okay with." Hanon explained. "Actually going in is what scares me."

"C'mon. We won't go too far in."

"Nagisa, I told you no!"

"You're so stubborn!"

"And you're so dense!"

In anger, the two turned their backs to each other. But, Hanon's expression softened, as did Nagisa's. Hanon still loved Nagisa and couldn't stay mad with him, and him with her. So Nagisa suggested that they go back, as the sun was hanging low in the sky.

While Nagisa went back to the bike, Hanon spoke internally, _I'm sorry Nagisa. Maybe one day, when you realize my secret on your own, we can spend a day in the sea together._

As they pedaled back to Pearl Piari, Nagisa spoke up, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed you'd want to go swimming."

But Hanon shook her head and replied, "No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I yelled at you when you were just asking nicely."

"But I'm the one who pushed you to do so."

"Are we really going to argue over apologies?" And with that, the two laughed off the event like it was no big deal.

"Oh yeah!" Nagisa perked up. "I managed to get some concert tickets for this weekend. Want to go?" Hanon immediately agreed, and thanked Nagisa for the offer. Then they rode on, their thoughts on each other.

* * *

But when they got back to the hotel, everything in Hanon's world fell apart.

Because as they walked in, all cheerful and giddy, Meru immediately vaulted in Hanon's way and criticized, "Hanon-sama! What were you doing going out with this strange boy?!"

"It's okay," Hanon assured. "This is Nagisa. Nagisa, this is Meru, my... cousin."

Nagisa was about to return greetings with Meru when she scolded, "Hanon-sama, what are you doing flirting with another boy? You're needed back home right now!"

"N-Now?" Hanon quizzed. "Couldn't we maybe go back home a little later?"

"No Hanon-sama. Everyone is expecting you to return home now!"

This was becoming quite a pickle. Hanon knew she had responsibilities to her people as the Aquamarine Pearl Mermaid Princess, but part of her wanted to stay on land with Nagisa. Her feelings between her two sides were beginning to tear inside herself.

Nagisa was just as shocked as Hanon was.

"Hanon, what about the concert this weekend?" he inquired. "Can you make it back for that?"

"I think so," Hanon replied.

"No Hanon-sama. You won't be able to come back this time. You need to return home." Meru refuted.

"What are you talking about?!" Nagisa argued with Meru. "Of course Hanon can come back! It's her choice."

"But it is not her responsibility."

"And who says you can decide what she can and cannot do?"

"Well who says that you can?"

"Take a hint. Hanon does not want to go back."

"Hanon does want to go back. And she will."

"STOP!" Hanon screamed. Nagisa's and Meru's arguing was tearing her apart. Everything inside her was shattered: her head, her feelings, her love. It all caused Hanon to cry uncontrollably. With so much grief welling up inside, Hanon ran out the door sobbing.

"Nice one Meru," Nagisa blamed. "You just had to go and upset Hanon."

"Me?! You were the one yelling in her face!" Meru retorted.

"You wanted to force her to go back home."

"And you wanted to force her to stay and go to some concert."

"ENOUGH!" Nikora interrupted. "IS THIS THE WAY TO BEHAVE IN FRONT OF YOUR FRIENDS?!" her arrival caused both Nagisa and Meru to clam up.  
With a huge sigh, Nikora suggested, "Instead of arguing, shouldn't you be out there looking for her?" Immediately, the two took off to look for Hanon.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Before they had taken off, Hanon had run straight into the ocean. She felt completely betrayed, both by Meru and Nagisa. How could they have not considered her own thoughts and feelings? She knew her responsibilities as a Mermaid Princess, and she was intent on going to the concert with Nagisa. But how could they argue over that?

 _'It's not fair!'_ Hanon cried. _'It's just not fair!'_

But as she was swimming away, she encountered a sudden swarm of bats all clustering together.

 _'Bats? Underwater?'_ Hanon pondered. But then she realized who it could be. There was only one water demon who controlled bats and could exist underwater like her.

As the bats formed the figure, a sinister voice chuckled, "What do we have here? A Mermaid Princess in tears?" then the figure finally formed. A woman with ebony-black hair and ebony-black boots and pants. A white buccaneer shirt, bat wings behind her, and a mask around her night-sky eyes.

"Lady Bat!" Hanon gasped.

"Surprised to see me, Mermaid Princess?" Lady Bat taunted. "I've been reborn. And now I'm going to use this chance to capture you and the other mermaid princesses. Get ready!" Then Lady Bat discarded her mask, as a dark tune began. And she sang "Ankoku no Tsubasa."

_**BARA yori mo** _

_**Utsukushiki** _

_**Tsuki yori mo nayamahiku** _

_**Taisetsu na** _

_**Inochi naraba** _

_**Kono te de sakasetai** _

_**Ankoku no sekai tobira ga** _

_**Ima hirakareru yo** _

_**Mou ichido unmei azukete** _

_**Umarekawaru sa** _

_**Sono mabuta tojite** _

_**Mitsumete mayonaka no** _

_**MASUKAREEDO** _

_**Ima yami ni suberiochite** _

_**Yuku saa oide!** _

_**Obienakute ii yo** _

_**Soshite eien ni nare** _

Hanon tried to cover her ears to block out the song, but its power broke through her efforts and drew her into a daze. But before it completely overpowered her, Hanon cried out, "Nagisa, help me!"

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

On land, Nagisa had split up with Meru and ran along the edge of town. He called out to Hanon, hoping to find her soon and make up for what occurred back at the hotel. But he was having no luck.

Until he heard, " _Nagisa, help me!_ " It was Hanon, Nagisa knew. Calling out from... the ocean?

"Hanon, can you hear me?!" Nagisa called out to her. No response came back. But Nagisa was sure that her voice came from the ocean. But how could she be there?

As Nagisa ran out onto the beach, he was startled when a girl popped out from under the water not too far from shore. She startled Nagisa, and shocked him even more when he saw her tail.

"A mermaid?" he gasped.

"Please, Nagisa, we don't have much time," Meru urged. "My princess is in danger, and I need your help to save her."

"Wait, how do you know my name?"

"I told you, we don't have a lot of time. Follow me, quickly!" Without argument, Nagisa jumped into the water and dove after the mermaid.

Meru led Nagisa a good deal away from the land. But before long, they spotted two figures up ahead. One was a mermaid with long, blue hair and an aquamarine tail. The other figure looked like a person with bat wings, fangs, and a sneer that made Nagisa cringe. The mermaid was in a hypnotic state, at the whim of the bat-wing person.

"That was far too easy," the bat lady spoke with a lustful grin. "But soon, we will capture you all." Nagisa didn't understand it, but he had a sudden need to protect the blue mermaid. Spurring out, Nagisa charged at the bat lady and delivered a punch to her face. When she came too, Hanon was surprised, yet elated, to find Nagisa rescuing her. But Nagisa was running out of air, and he motioned up to signal Hanon. Understanding what she was told, Hanon swam to the surface with Nagisa and Meru in tow.

* * *

When they resurfaced, Hanon told Nagisa, "Thank you Nagisa." Nagisa was a little startled that this mermaid knew his name too. But at the same time, it almost seemed like he knew her.

In reply, Nagisa said, "Your welcome. But, who are you?" The question surprised Hanon. What could she say? If she revealed herself, she would disappear and turn into bubbles. But still, her feelings for Nagisa were pressing hard inside her chest.

She was about to answer his question when Nagisa suddenly slipped back under.

"Nagisa!" Hanon cried out. She dove after him, followed by Meru. As she dove, she saw that Lady Bat was dragging him down, keeping him from surfacing.

"Insolent boy!" She growled, "I'll teach you to lay even a finger on me." Nagisa hadn't taken a breath when he got pulled under, and was frantically swimming upwards for air. Even as he saw Hanon swim for him, he continued to panic. Eventually, he passed out. And Lady Bat let him go once he did.

As Hanon caught up to Nagisa, she felt like her heart had stopped. But that matter had to be set aside.

So she requested, "Meru, take Nagisa back to land and wait for me."

"Yes, Hanon-sama," Meru affirmed the command, and took Nagisa. However she could, Hanon had to beat Lady Bat.

"Now then, Mermaid Princess, shall we resume where we left off?" she taunted. But then, Hanon heard Luchia call out to her. And before long, Luchia and Rina were by her side. they too were surprised to see Lady Bat again after all that had happened. But the water demon could not believe her luck having three Mermaid Princesses showing up for her to capture. But, it wasn't going to happen this time.

So the Mermaid Princesses began their transformations.

**_"Pink Pearl Voice!"  
_ **

**_"Aqua Pearl Voice!"  
_ **

**_"Green Pearl Voice!"_ **

Once their first transformation was complete, the three transformed again into their second form.

"Lady Bat," Hanon proclaimed, "This time you will pay for harming Nagisa."

"Pichi Pichi Voice, Live Start!"

This time, the song they sung was "Super Love Song."

_**Starlight! Hikari wo motto atsumetaru** _

_**Kono sekai wa kitto ka watteku** _

_**Mukaikaze no naka demo** _

_**Karai umi no naka demo** _

_**Kono me wo hanasanai de** _

_**Zettai** _

_**Yume ga hajimaru SUPER LIVE** _

_**Hikari dokage no STAGE** _

_**Ai wo tsutaete SUPER SONG** _

_**Yuuki wo kureru ai no uta** _

Unable to bear the melody, Lady Bat gripped her head as if the song were giving her a headache.

"Love Shower Pitch! How about an encore?"

"Blast!" she seethed, "I'll get you next time!" And she disappeared in a swarm of bats.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

After that, Hanon went to where Meru took Nagisa to check up on him. Meru dove back into the sea as Hanon arrived, giving her time to be alone with him. Hanon didn't change back into her human form though, not yet.

The sight of Nagisa unconscious bore into Hanon like a knife. He had gotten hurt trying to save her.

"Nagisa." she whispered somberly. And, despite her sadness, she began to sing "Legend of Mermaid."

_**Nanairo no kaze ni fukarete  
Tooi misaki wo mezashiteta** _

_**Yoake mae kikoeta MERODII  
Sore wa totemo natsukashii uta** _

And as Hanon sung, her pearl began to glow. It's light bathed Nagisa, feeding Hanon's power into him through her melody.

Before Hanon reached the chorus, Nagisa interrupted her when he began to sputter. The boy soon came to, and spotted the mermaid right next to him.

"You... You're real." he spoke.

"Nagisa," Hanon replied, tears welling up in her eyes. "Nagisa!" She flung herself onto him, letting her tears flow. Nagisa was startled by the sudden action, but he decided to hug her back.

When they finally separated, Hanon wiped her eyes and told him, "I was so worried. I thought I lost you."

"Yeah, well it takes more than a little water to beat me," Nagisa boasted. Hanon just giggled at his showing off, then she gave him a kiss on the cheek. As she did, Nagisa felt a twinge of familiarity about this. Why was it so familiar? But then, Hanon leapt back into the ocean, leaving Nagisa in confusion.

" _Come find me,_ " Hanon asked of him. " _You will find me, for sure._ " And Nagisa was left to wonder about his mysterious rescuer.

* * *

Back at Pearl Piari, Hanon informed Meru that she wouldn't be return home just yet.

"Huh?! but why, Hanon-sama?" Meru asked.

"We're being hunted by a creepy scientist," Hanon explained, "so I can't come back, not yet. Besides, I don't want to leave Nagisa."

"Well then, I guess you'll have to get used to me being around, because I'm moving in too," Meru announced. Hanon was shocked by this news.

"I guess we'd better get used to our newcomer," Rina said.

"Yep. It's going to be awfully busy now," Luchia added on.

"Eh?! You guys, what about Seira?" Hanon tried to argue. "How can we help mentor her and keep an eye on Meru?"

"Meru is your responsibility Hanon," Rina pointed out, "just as Seira is Luchia's."

"Finally, someone who can keep you in check," Hippo came in, "and keep you from falling in love with those human boys."

"Ah Hippo, it's too late for that," Meru replied, "besides, I couldn't even if I tried." And as Hippo was trying to comprehend this change in circumstances, Hanon just giggled.

 _'Who knows.'_ she thought, _'Maybe having Meru around might not be so bad. And maybe, one day, Nagisa will discover who I am, just like Kaito discovered Luchia.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of these chapters where there are songs may or may not have lyrics. This is more than likely going to occur with chapters that feature original song concepts. These will have descriptions on the music played, and a basic grasp on the lyrics and what they are saying.


	4. A Hardened Resolve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Due to her past, Rina has lingering doubts about her relationship with Masahiro. And she struggles to overcome these very doubts to lead a life alongside the man devoted to her.

* * *

The crowd roared as the boxing match began to get underway. Masahiro Hamasaki, a lean man with green hair and a fierce determination in his eyes, stared down his opponent as he circled the ring. The opponent threw a jab, he ducked with relative ease, and swooped as the man brought a hook to the left. Then Masahiro struck, landing a jab into his opponent's abdomen. Pressing his advantage, he then delivered another series of blows to the head, disorienting who he faced. The cycle continued a few times until the bell rang to signal the end of the round.

As Masahiro's coach began to advise him on what to do for the next round, Masahiro spotted a familiar face in the crowd. A girl with long, green hair and piercing green eyes. The sight of Rina made Masahiro beam with excitement and hope. But then his coach caught on to his staring off into the crowd, and snapped him back into the ring just in time to start the second round. Once Masahiro met back up with his opponent, he thought back to his goal.

_If I win,_ he thought with determination, _I can finally tell Rina that I love her._ And he struck.

* * *

After the fight, Masahiro was busy bandaging his injuries from his loss. As much as he was determined to win, he never really fought strictly for victory. It was something that carried him through, even when things didn't work out like he hoped. But as he was applying the last bandage to the bruise on his cheek, Rina came in suddenly and sat down next to him.

"Heh. Kinda pathetic, aren't I?" Masahiro chuckled.

"No" Rina replied, "Just stubborn."

The two motorcycled back to Pearl Piari shortly afterward. Rina still had a hard time coming to grips with her feelings for Masahiro. Before, she had devoted herself to not falling in love, so that she would be spared the pain of when she would have to return home and leave the land behind. But when Masahiro entered her life, that devotion was put to the test as her feelings betrayed her pledge. She still had not fully fallen for Masahiro, but little by little her feelings continued to develop. But at the end of the day, she would still struggle with why she liked Masahiro, despite her being a Mermaid Princess.

As the duo rode on, Masahiro piped up by asking, "So, what made you decide to see the match this time?"

"My friends." Rina admitted. "They somehow discovered that you were fighting today, and convinced me to come. And I'm glad they did."

"Good friends. Actually, I want to ask you something." As soon as Rina took notice to the forming question, he asked, "If you're free tomorrow, could you meet me by my raft?"

"Uh, sure. But, why do you ask?"

"I just want to spend some time with you." Neither of them knew it then, but when they got together they would be thrown for a loop.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

When Masahiro dropped off Rina back at the hotel, she reaffirmed to him that she would see him tomorrow at the docks.

After that, when she entered the lobby, Meru appeared almost all of a sudden and bombarded Rina with questions like, "Who was that guy Rina-sama? Is he your boyfriend? Does he know about your mermaid self like Kaito-kun knows Luchia-sama? Were you out on a date?"

"Meru, please. It's not like that," Rina sheepishly replied.

"Huh? But Hanon-sama said that you and he were going out together," Meru groaned, disappointed by the answer. "Are you sure he isn't your boyfriend? What's his name?" Instead of replying, Rina headed up the stairs to her room.

But before she completely left, she told Meru, "Masahiro." And left it at that, while Meru struggled with the response she was given when returning to Luchia and Hanon, who were using the Mermaid Cards.

* * *

Rina turned off her TV after watching a comedy duo telling lame jokes again. She turned out the lights, and went to bed, while pondering what Masahiro had said to her before.

_What is it that he wants to do with me?_ she questioned. Masahiro was always making attempts to win Rina's affection. And it was a great risk for Rina to go out to sea with him too. Masahiro knew nothing of mermaids or water demons. The thought of Masahiro finding out about her secret haunted Rina. What would he think? Would he hate Rina if she was revealed to be a mermaid? Would he even be willing to cope with the knowledge of the underwater world? All these thoughts pressed on Rina's mind as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_In her dream, Rina was underwater. She was in mermaid form, but had no idea what was going on, or what was about to happen. Then, Masahiro materialized next to her in a flurry of bubbles. She floated, aghast that he would be here in her dreams.  
_

_"Rina, why didn't you tell me?" he questioned.  
_

_"Masahiro, what do you mean?" she responded, startled by events.  
_

_"Why did you lie to me? About who you really were?"  
_

_"Masahiro, I can explain."  
_

_"I thought that you cared for me. that you felt the same as me. I thought you loved me."  
_

_"Masahiro, please!"  
_

_"But I see it was all a lie. The only one you care about is yourself." With great pride, Masahiro began floating away from her.  
_

_"Masahiro, wait!" Rina called out to him. But then, bubbles began floating from her body. And she began to realize that she was turning into bubbles. Her body wouldn't move, it felt anchored somehow. In anguish, Rina reached out to Masahiro's shrinking figure.  
"Masahiro! Masahiro!"_

* * *

"MASAHIRO!" Rina screamed. Then she realized that it was all a dream. Or rather, a nightmare in actuality. But not soon after she cried out in fright did Luchia and Hanon come into the room, concerned for their friend.

"Rina, are you alright?" Luchia inquired.

"You screamed so loud that you woke us both awake." Hanon explained. "Did something happen?" Rina knew she couldn't hide anything from her friends. So she decided to tell them about her conflictions.

Once Rina told her friends that she had a dream about Masahiro, Hanon immediately beamed, "Aw, you're so lucky. Dreaming about your love with Masahiro."

"Hanon, it wasn't like that," Rina corrected. "He had found out about my secret, and believed I cared only about myself."

"Huh? But that's not true Rina," Luchia argued. "You always care about us."

"With you two, I do," Rina acknowledged. "But what about Masahiro?"

"Well, obviously you like him. Don't you Rina?" Hanon pointed out. "So it stands to reason that you do not care only about yourself." Rina wasn't prone to admit it, but Hanon was right. Keeping her secret wasn't selfish. She cared for her friends, and even Masahiro. After thanking her friends for their their help, the three went back to bed.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Early next morning, Rina took a big stretch as she walked along the beach. As she stared out into the sunrise, she thought back to what Luchia and Hanon had told her last night. Maybe she wouldn't fall as deeply in love with Masahiro like those two had with their boyfriends, but she was in no way thinking only of herself. She reminded herself of that fact.

It was then that she noticed Kaito surfing out on the waves. When he took notice of her on the beach, Kaito swam back in and rested next to her.

"Hey, morning." he greeted cheerfully.

"Oh, hi... Kaito." Rina stuttered in reply. Then she got up the nerves she could muster and asked, "Kaito, what was it like? When you found out Luchia was a mermaid, and the one from all those years ago, what did you feel?"

"Huh? Where did this come from?" he inquired. But Rina's staring towards the horizon told him she was seeking an answer, and that was it.

So, in reply, Kaito told her, "Relieved. I never expected that the mermaid who saved me was Luchia all along. But, I had some suspicions for a while too. So when I found out who she really was, I was relieved to discover that who I sought had been next to me. And when I regained my memory, I felt somewhat guilty. I had caused all of you a lot of pain, especially Luchia. So I wanted to keep her safe, and make up for the hurt I had caused.

"That's it?" Rina quizzed. "You never once feared what the truth would hold? Or disgusted to find that Luchia was the one you sought?"

"Heh, no. Ever since I met her, I wanted to find her. Realizing that the mermaid I loved was the goofy girl who always stuck with me made it sort of... magical." The response stunned Rina. True, she had bared down on Kaito if he didn't treat Luchia properly. But still, she would have expected his personal feelings to speak otherwise.

"I'm guessing this has something to do with a boy you like," Kaito said.

Feeling flustered, Rina replied, "No! Absolutely not! That's not it! I was just curious was all."

"Your face is turning red," Kaito laughed. And it was. Embarrassed, Rina stormed off for the docks, trying her best to not think on how Kaito was right.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Arriving at the dock, Rina found the boat they had used last time Masahiro took her onboard. And it wasn't long after she had arrived that Masahiro came by running.

"Hey Rina, sorry I'm late," he greeted.

With a small chuckle, Rina replied, "It's fine. I just got here too."

"Well then, shall we?"

Not a moment later did the two sail out a ways into the open ocean. Rina made perfectly sure that she sat towards the rear of the boat, in case something went wrong and she had to escape or something. Once Masahiro got them to a nice location, he set out a small picnic for him and Rina. It was almost hard for Rina not to enjoy herself. Masahiro never did anything flashy like Kaito and Nagisa, he just kept things rather normal. This was a characteristic of his that she liked, but at the same time struggled with.

Setting down a half-eaten rice ball, Rina looked out to the ocean. _How can I live with this, knowing what will inevitably happen?_ Rina thought. _Why do I even try?_ In frustration with herself, Rina rammed her fist into the ground. Masahiro took notice of this, and saw that she was crying. Tears streaked down her face like streams.

"Rina, what's wrong?" he inquired.

Wiping away her tears, Rina put on a brave face and assured, "It's nothing. Sorry Masahiro, this is all really great. And I thank you for bringing me out here. But I don't know if this is right. To enjoy myself like this when it could all end so soon." Right then, Masahiro's biggest fear came crawling back into his mind.  
Masahiro had heard Rina say that she might leave someday. And that was his biggest worry. What if he never saw her again? Rina was the only girl he really felt connected to.

"Rina," he finally spoke, "remember when you said you wouldn't leave me?" Rina acknowledged his point. So Masahiro continued, "Don't give up hope. I'm sure, one way or another, that you won't have to leave. And I will keep you close to me." He placed a fist over his heart in a gesture to say he would guard his feelings for her. That Rina would be the only one there.

But then, a splash interrupted the two as a fairy-looking child in green flew into the air. But like a dolphin flying into the air, she dove back underwater. It was strange, but Rina thought the girl looked somewhat familiar.

"Arara," she heard Masahiro mutter. When she looked to him, Rina found that he was under some kind of hypnotic spell. Masahiro made his way to the back of the boat, and dove straight into the waters.

"Masahiro!" Rina called out. But she wasn't sure what to do. What if she dove in, and Masahiro saw her transform? But she couldn't let that stop her. So Rina dove in after him.

* * *

Luckily, Masahiro was still dazed when Rina entered the water, so he never saw her transform. Unfortunately, he was swimming deeper towards a girl who looked like she could be a fairy.

"Arara!" Rina called out.

Arara quickly took notice to Rina's arrival, and giggled. "Well what do you know? It worked, just like he said it would." she regarded with a smirk.

"He?" Rina questioned. Then she shook off her confusion, and demanded, "Let Masahiro go!"

"Uh uh uh. I think the boy can say otherwise," Arara teased.

"Arara, I love you," Masahiro spoke dreamily. This angered Rina, since Arara had the power to put boys under a spell to make them love her.

"But, we still can't have any competition for his interest," Arara spoke again. "So now, to begin the big finale." And just then, Arara brought out her Star Baton, and began to twirl it around playfully. As she did, she sung her song, "Star Mero Mero Heart", to defeat Rina.

_**HATTO ga dokki dokki suru yo na shisen** _

_**Arara… yappari watashi ni kugidzuke** _

_**Kuchizu sanda MERODII** _

_**Kimi wo mero mero ni shitai** _

_**Taiyou no hikari ni mezameta asa** _

_**Kinou kawashita yakusoku wa** _

_**Mou wasurete shimatta kedo** _

_**Kaze ga uta urizumu kikitai deshou?** _

_**Chikyuu wa watashi wo chuusi ni mawatteru** _

_**Mahou no tobira akete** _

_**Kiseki no hakohira ite** _

_**Genjitsu wo mikae sou** _

_**HATTO ga dokki dokki suru yo na KISU** _

_**Arara… yappari watashi ga daisuke** _

_**HOshi no BATON futtara** _

_**Kimi wo muchuu ni sasetai** _

The song gave Rina a headache. Unable to bear the dark song's power, Rina cried out, "MASAHIRO!" And it did the trick. Suddenly, Masahiro snapped out of his daze and looked up to who called him. He didn't know that the mermaid with the green tail was Rina, but seeing her in pain told him that he needed to save her. Picking up Rina, Masahiro swam for the boat while Arara was distracted by her own singing.

* * *

Masahiro set Rina on the deck, her tail still somewhat submersed in water.

"Who are you?" Masahiro asked the strange mermaid. But Rina never said who she was.

Instead, she returned, "Aren't you scared of me?"

"Should I be? Even to someone like you?" The words came to Rina so unexpectedly. She had often wondered what Masahiro's reaction would be if he saw her mermaid self.

But the encounter drove her feelings haywire. Not wanting to prolong it, Rina tried diving back into the sea.

"Wait!" Masahiro exclaimed. He grabbed hold of her wrist, stopping her from leaving. Rina tried to break the grip, but Masahiro held on.

"Let go of me!" she demanded.

"I won't. Not until I know who you are. I feel like... I feel like I should know you." Rina stopped struggling, and gave him a hard stare. The look she gave him caused Masahiro to ponder the thought of this person being the same as Rina.

_Why does this feel so familiar?_ he questioned. _Somehow, I know her. I just know it._ But Rina felt afraid. What would happen if he found out who she was? Could she live with what it would bring between herself and him?

The encounter never fully developed, unfortunately, as Arara flew into the air nearby them.

"Hmph! I would have thought any boy would have been unable to resist my gorgeous charm," she huffed. "But I see I'll have to do things the hard way." She pulled out what looked like a remote controller, and activated it. Instantly, a series of claws protruded from the water behind her. The machine parts clicked and snapped, targeting Rina for capture. But then, Masahiro put himself between the water demon and Rina.

"Leave us alone! We have done nothing to anger you," he defended.

"Oh I'm angry alright. But that's not the reason I'm here this time. My master wants me to capture the Mermaid Princess."

_So she's working for Dr. Hishki, just like Lady Bat,_ Rina figured out.

"Mermaid Princess?" Masahiro questioned.

"Aw, you never knew? That mermaid is a Mermaid Princess. They're very dangerous to be around," Arara teased. "But give her over to me, and there won't be any problems for you."

"No! I won't just surrender her to you. You'll just have to get through me first." Rina couldn't believe what she was hearing. Masahiro was actually defending her. Even though he didn't know who she was, he was still risking himself to protect her.

"You know, you're beginning to annoy me. So I guess I have no choice but to go through you!" Arara commanded the mechanical arms to charge. Several knocked Masahiro back, and knocked him out, but failed to reach Rina.

"MASAHIRO!" she cried out. she cradled Masahiro in her arms, praying he was alright.

_How could this have happened?_ she blamed on herself. _How could I have thought so badly of him?  
_

"Boy, that was a pain," Arara said exasperated. However, the effect the water demon had intended backfired.

Rina set Masahiro down on the deck, and faced Arara with a steeled determination.

"Arara," she spoke, "you will regret interfering with Masahiro and me." And on cue, Luchia and Hanon popped up next to the boat, ready to stand by her side. Their pearls had warned them that Rina had been in trouble earlier, which was why they came so quickly.

**"Pink Pearl Voice!"**   
**"Aqua Pearl Voice!"**   
**"Green Pearl Voice!"**

Once their second form was complete the three readied their song.

"Attacking a human boy to get at us is unforgivable?" Hanon started out.

"Now you must face our-" Luchia chimed in.

"Pichi Pichi Voice, Live Start!" Everyone proclaimed.  
The song they sung this time was "Kizuna."

_**Itai hodo namida afureru shinkai no yoru wo koe** _

_**GARASU no sumien te wo nobaseba hikari ni todo ita** _

_**Mieru mono dake ga kikoeru koe dake ga** _

_**Subete ja nai koto ni kizuite** _

_**Shinjiraeru mono hitotsu fueta ima nara tsuyoku nareru ne** _

_**Kidzutsuite mata kagayaku** _

_**Muteki no KIZUNA kanjiteru** _

_**Dareka ja nakute kimi ja nakya DAME** _

_**Setsunai ho motometeru** _

_**Kiseki ga kasanereba** _

_**Unmei ni kawaru mitai ni** _

_**Itagani nante yaburi suteyou** _

_**Katai KIZUNA wo shinjite** _

The song's power caused Arara to grimace and moan as she strained under its power.

When they finished, they called out, "Love Shower Pitch! How about and encore?"

"Why is it that you Mermaid Princesses have to ruin everything?!" Arara complained.

* * *

When Luchia and Hanon were caught up on what happened, they were a little worried for Rina and Masahiro.

"But he does boxing anyway, so I'm sure he's fine," Hanon pointed out.

"I hope so." Rina replied wistfully. She was back to being a human again, tending to Masahiro.

"Well, we'd better go. Don't want Masahiro to freak out from seeing three mermaids in one day," Luchia suggested. Rina began to protest, but Luchia and Hanon had already ducked under the waves with a playful smile.

As soon as they left, Masahiro woke up.

"Rina, you're okay," he spoke after he spotted Rina.

As she helped him up, Rina replied, "I'm glad you're okay. You had me worried." When Masahiro looked at Rina again, something seemed different. No longer did he just see a girl he really liked, but the image of the mermaid from before seemed to take place too. The two images seemed almost identical.

_It's not possible. Is it?_ he pondered.

Rina took notice of his staring at her weirdly, and asked, "Is there something wrong?"

But Masahiro shook his head and assured, "Just still a little groggy." And they left it at that. Rina had no doubt that Masahiro suspected her mermaid self. But now she knew she had little to worry about when he discovered the truth. So she just enjoyed the rest of the day in Masahiro's company.


	5. A Strange Kindness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seira, desperate to find love, has her wish fulfilled when she runs across a new student at her school: Hugo Masani. What is there to discover about this new boy at her school? And what will Seira do now that she has a boy to love?

* * *

"I'm leaving," Rina announced to her friends.

"Where are you going this time?" Hanon inquired curiously.

"Masahiro's taking me to a comedy show. I'll be back this afternoon." And she left the hotel. Just then, Luchia came down the stairs, fidgeting with one of the bows in her hair.

"Hanon, have you seen Seira yet?" she asked.

"She hasn't come down yet. Meru tried checking up on her, but Seira didn't answer." This made Luchia worried. Living in the human world was a new experience for Seira. So she hoped that Dr. Hishki's attempts to capture them were not weighing her down somehow.

"I'm sure Seira is fine," Hanon assured, almost like she could read Luchia's growing concern. "She is the Orange Mermaid Princess, after all."

"Yeah. I guess you are right," Luchia returned. But a part of her still worried. Just then, Hanon shot up from her seat and ran for the exit.

"Well, I'll be heading out too," Hanon announced. "I want to get a gift for Nagisa. Bye." And she disappeared.

Luchia was a little envious of her friends. Today, Kaito would be somewhere running an errand for someone. Luchia tried to convince him to let her tag along, but Kaito refused to let her. So basically, Luchia had nothing to do.

Until Seira up to Luchia, looking rather somber.

"Luchia, can I talk to you about something?" she asked.

"Of course Seira. What is it?" Luchia replied.

"Not in here." Seira made her way out to the patio area out back, ushering Luchia to follow her. Luchia was beginning to ponder what was troubling Seira. So she followed.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Once outside, the two girls leaned on the wall overlooking the beach behind the hotel. For a while, Seira didn't speak. Luchia continued to panic at the thought that she was distressed about them being hunted. But when Seira did speak, Luchia became relieved.

"I want to know how to find the one I am meant to love, like you did," She said, very serious. "I want to find someone, and fall in love with them like you and Hanon and Rina have." The request didn't surprise Luchia one bit. She somehow knew that Seira would want to follow in her footsteps by falling in love with a human boy too.

So, she answered, "You'll find him someday. Soon, you will find who you love."

"But I want him right now!" Seira argued. "You found Kaito years ago. Hanon and Rina have theirs too. I don't want to wait!"

"Seira, it took me several years to find Kaito again. Hanon spent all last year trying to win Mitsuki-sensei's affection before she loved Nagisa. And Rina just encountered Masahiro without seeking love," Luchia explained. "What I'm trying to say is that you can't just find the one you love. They will find you."

"But how can I be sure I will?"

"Have faith," Luchia said soothingly. "Don't forget, Sara fell into darkness because she believed Mitsuki-sensei abandoned her. But he never forgot Sara. Even when you won't know when or how it will happen, you'll find who you will love." Seira took the advice she was given graciously, but she was still upset that she didn't have someone like Luchia did.

* * *

The next day, Seira walked with Meru to school.

"Ooh, this is going to be so much fun," Meru exclaimed, squaling. "And I know we'll be the best classmates ever, Seira-sama."  
"Please Meru, just call me Seira," Seira urged. "We're friends, after all."  
"But you're a mermaid princess. it would be disrespectful to say anything else. You're the Indian Ocean Mer-" But then, Seira forced her hand over Meru's mouth before she was revealed to everyone. A few students stared at them with puzzled expressions, but they continued on their way to school.

Embarrassed, Seira told Meru, "I'm not a mermaid princess in the human world. So please, just call me Seira." Meru sighed uncomfortably, but she agreed anyway.

As they continued on, someone bumped into Seira from behind and tripped her up.

"Sorry. I wasn't looking." the person apologized. When Seira looked up, her heart skipped. The boy who had bumped her had smooth, blond hair and orange-brown eyes. He wasn't wearing the boys school uniform, but instead a fine-white tuxedo with an orange tie. "Are you alright? You're not hurt or anything?" he asked as he helped Seira up.

"N-no, I'm alright," Seira replied, tripping over her words a little.

"Good. Well, see ya." Then he hurried through the gates.

"Who was that boy?! He could have at least made up for hurting you," Meru griped. Seira wasn't listening. Her heart seemed to race uncontrollably after encountering the strange boy.

 _That boy. Why does he set my heart racing?_ she thought. Seira found that she couldn't move. Her legs felt like lead. However, Meru was getting antsy. So she pushed Seira forward onto school grounds.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"Attention, everyone," the teacher announced to Seira's class, "we have a couple of new students joining our class today. Please welcome Hoshou Meru, and Masani Hugo." Meru entered the room, followed by the boy Seira met earlier.

"Meru-san, will you have a seat next to Nagisa-san? And Hugo-san, you'll take a seat behind Seira-san," the teacher requested. Both students complied, and took their respective seats. Just as Hugo passed Seira, she clammed up. Why was she feeling this way this way when Hugo was near her? Was it possible Hugo was someone she would love Like Luchia said? How could she be sure?

"Seira-san," the teacher called out, "will you stop kicking your desk? You're disturbing the class." As soon as Seira came back to earth, she found the whole class staring at her. She felt very embarrassed by the attention, and apologized to everyone for the disruption. And with that, class resumed.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

After class, the two girls met up with Luchia and the others on the roof.

When Meru told them about Hugo, Hanon said, "So, there's another new boy this year."

"But why would he be dressed so formally?" Rina questioned.

"That is a good point," Meru agreed. "And I don't like him. Earlier, he hurt Seira-sama at the gate, and quickly lost interest when Seira said she was fine."

"That is definitely not a good thing," Hanon complied. "I wouldn't be surprised if he works for that Dr. Hishki, and he's just spying on us."

"Oi, Hanon. Let's not jump to any conclusions," Rina warned.

"Yeah. It's his first day. Maybe he's just nervous," Luchia suggested. And that started a huge argument between Hanon, Rina, and Meru over who Hugo was.

In the midst of it, Luchia noticed Seira drifting away from the group, looking rather distracted. Concerned, Luchia decided to catch up. When she did, Luchia asked Seira what was wrong.

So Seira replied, "I think I found him."

"Huh? What do you mean? Who did you find?" Luchia quizzed.

"The boy I'm supposed to love. I think I know who it is." Seira told her.

"Really? Who?"

"That boy, Hugo. I believe he's the one. I acted so jittery around him that I feel he's the one."

"Way to go Seira! I'm glad for you!" Luchia congratulated.

"Now how do I get him to love me back?" Seira asked. "How can I make it like how it is with you and Kaito?"

"Like with Kaito and me?" Luchia repeated questioningly. Then she told the younger mermaid, "Seira, it doesn't work like that. You'll just have to try being a friend to Hugo before you make it like how it is with me and Kaito."

"Alright." Seira didn't like having to take this one step at a time, but she decided to follow Luchia's advice.

At that point, Hugo came up to the two of them and spoke, "You're Seira, right?" When Seira noticed him, she became all jittery.

"Y-yes. Hi, Hugo." she replied nervously.

"I just wanted to make up for what I did before. Want to come to a party being held at my home?" he offered.

"Yes, absolutely!"

"Great." Hugo said with a beaming smile. He then reached into his jacket and pulled out a purple envelope that he held out to her. "Here's the invite. Show it to the person in front of my house, and they'll let you in." Then he gave her an envelope, and began walking away. "Oh, and it's a formal party. So wear some proper attire." he instructed before leaving. And then, he was gone. Seira just stared at the invite Hugo gave her.

"Looks like things may work out after all," Luchia noted with a giggle. And Seira could believe it.

* * *

"WHAAAAAT?!" Hippo bellowed after receiving the news. "You're going to some human's party that you don't know about?!"

"Well, he personally invited me. So, how can I refuse?" Seira reasoned.

"You mean to say that Hugo invited you?" Meru cried out, incredulous. "But he totally brushed you by."

"I want to at least try this out. And, he seemed rather nice." Seira said, blushing a tad and turning her foot out of embarrassment.

"Absolutely not!" Hippo refuted. "You will not go to this human boy's party! Besides, you have nothing formal to wear."

"Actually, Luchia was going to take me shopping to get something for it," Seira admitted, causing the guardian to facefault.  
"Then I'm going too," Meru demanded. "No way am I letting you go alone with that ruffian being there."

"Agreed. Meru-chan can keep you from doing something foolish." Hippo added. Seira felt betrayed. She would have thought she would get a chance to be with Hugo, and experience what Luchia had experienced with Kaito. However, she gave in and agreed to let Meru come along.

* * *

The weekend of the party, Seira and Meru made their way to the address on the invite. Seira wore a short, orange-and-white dress with an orange bow tied around her waist. Meru wore a light blue dress that was similar to Seira's. Their dresses were fancy enough to pass as formal, but could also be somewhat casual. As the two would walk, Seira would stumble over her short-heeled shoes that she had.

"How do human girls walk in these things?" she griped after so long. "These shoes really hurt."

"Then you should've gotten the one I got," Meru responded. "They're not that much different from normal shoes." Meru was wearing dress shoes that had no heel.

"But wasn't it you who told me these shoes would be more attractive to wear at a party like this?" Seira debated.

"That was Luchia-sama who said that, not me." Meru countered haughtily.

"No, I remember you saying these shoes would've looked great on you, but you suggested them to me instead."

"I did not! Anyways, let's just get to the party and get this over with."

Once the two arrived, they were greeted by a massive mansion. The building was at least five-stories tall, with slightly smaller wings on each side. A long courtyard stood in front with a pool in the center, dotted with fountains. It was hard for either Meru or Seira to call this a "house."

As they walked up to the gates, a butler cam up to them and requested, "Excuse me, madams. Do you have an invite?" Seira showed him the invite, and they were allowed in. The whole courtyard was packed with people. Rich people in fancy clothes stood around conversing with each other. Some sat at tables eating and enjoying small talk. The sight made Seira self-conscious.

"Maybe we should leave," Seira suggested to Meru.

Meru agreed, but stopped when someone called to them, "Hey there. You made it." Before long, Hugo had caught up to them. "Welcome to my home," he greeted.

"Th-thanks for inviting us, Hugo-san." Seira replied respectfully.

"Just call me Hugo, Seira," he requested. Then Hugo asked, "Who's your friend?" Meru just scowled at Hugo.

"This is Meru. She's a friend from overseas," Seira introduced.

"Overseas, huh? Do you come from America too, Meru?" he inquired.

"America?" both girls questioned in unison.

"You don't know what America is?!" Hugo asked in bewilderment.

"No. Not really," Seira admitted. Meru quickly lost interest in the conversation. With a huff, she took her leave of Hugo and Seira.

 _Meru, do you really dislike Hugo that much?_ Seira worried. But then, Hugo grabbed Seira's hand and began leading her from the party.

"I want to take you somewhere, to talk more," he told her. With her heart racing, Seira gladly followed.

* * *

Hugo led Seira to a stretch of beach some ways away from the mansion.

"Ah, finally," Hugo spoke with a sigh, stripping off his tux and revealing street clothes underneath. Board shorts and a tan T-shirt with a picture of a wave on it. "I thought I was going to boil in that stuffy outfit," he remarked. Seira was surprised.

"You mean, you don't like to wear fancy clothes?" she asked him.

"Naw. I'd much rather wear what I want," Hugo answered. "But my folks wouldn't let me. As business people, they tell me that I must look my best to be the best. It's rather annoying." With a huge stretch, Hugo laid down in the sand, his head resting in his hands. Feeling obligated, Seira sat down next to him.

"It must be nice, having no expectations on how to live," Hugo muttered aloud. "Getting to do what you want however you want."

"Not always," Seira replied rather downtrodden. "Sometimes I'm expected to do some things and stay away from others."

"But at least you're free to be who you want to be, and not forced to be something somebody else wants you to be." Seira wasn't so sure about that. As much as she and the others tried, Hippo and Nikora did try to keep them focused on their goal as Mermaid Princesses. But, she could understand why Hugo felt the way he did.

After pondering it over, Seira inquired, "Hugo, what's America like?"

With a heavy sigh, Hugo mournfully answered, "Not that much of a great place. People fight each other over the smallest things, no one can decide on anything meaningful, and we blame our government for all our problems. It's not like here."

"You mean, it's horrible over there?"

"I didn't say that," he assured. "There are some good things in America; food, fun, travel. It's just not like here. Here, things are more... beautiful." The two quickly found themselves gazing at each other. Seira could feel her heart race, so did Hugo. their faces came so close that they could almost kiss.

That is, until, "Do you truly find this beautiful? A rather vulgar scene, I'll say." The two turned to the voice, startled by the intrusion. Floating above the water was a woman in a Chinese-style dress. Blue butterfly wings protruded from behind her, her long, violet hair was tied in twin Chinese buns. She also carried a fan with her. Seira gasped, for she recognized the water demon.

 _Linhua! How did she find us?!_ Seira never met the water demon personally, because at the time she was split into several heart shards that Luchia had to recover. But during that time, she did discover what kind of a person Linhua was.

"Who are you?! And... what are you?" Hugo demanded.

Chuckling playfully, Linhua replied, "I shall be your teacher on what is truly beautiful. Only a beautiful person like myself can know its true meaning."

Suddenly, Seira felt afraid. This sudden fear just came upon her, just by being near Linhua. She wanted to run, and take Hugo with her. But she couldn't move. She was frozen in place. The only other time this fear consumed her like this was in the presence of Linhua's old master, Mikeru.

Putting himself in front of her, Hugo challenged, "Whoever you are, leave us be! We don't need you to teach us anything."

"Actually, you two aren't the only ones who need this lesson," the water demon returned. "But I suppose you may be the first." Then, Linhua radiated a strong power, and split herself into 12 tiny forms of herself, each mini-figure wielding a different Chinese instrument.

"Stubborn boys need a lesson."

"Stubborn girls too."

"We'll show you!" They squeaked. And they began to play her song, "Hana to Chou no Serenade."

**_Tsukyyo ni saita -hana- no_ **

**_Kaori wa kaguwashiku_ **

**_Murasakiiro no yoaki ni_ **

**_Hikari mitsu no aji_ **

**_Kono yo no subete wo_ **

**_Watashi ni kuretara_ **

**_Yogoto no utage wa_ **

**_Tanoshiki yume no en_ **

**_Kagen no tsuki wo tategoto_ **

**_Ni shite kanadeyou_ **

**_Sen no suzu oto fue no_ **

**_Neiro no togisumasu_ **

**_Watashi ni kashikuzu_ **

**_Kawaii shimobe yo_ **

**_Kirameku shishuu no_ **

**_Hagoromo sazukeyou_ **

**_Hirari fuwari odoreba_ **

**_Tsumasaki kokoreru hanabira_ **

**_Yuubi naru SERENAADE_ **

**_Subete wo wasurete odore!_ **

The song caused Seira and Hugo to dance randomly. But they weren't dancing of their own will. Their bodies moved on their own.

"What's going on? I can't stop," Hugo gasped as he continued to unwillingly dance.

"It's this music. It's making us dance," Seira told him. The song continued on, wearing them down with its influence. When Linhua was finished, both kids were exhausted from moving randomly.

"Good, we wore them out."

"Let's get 'em!" The mini's squealed. They charged straight for Seira, aiming to capture her. With one more spurt of energy, Hugo shielded her by getting in their way. Enraged, the mini Linhuas started hitting and pestering Hugo like little nats.

"Seira, run!" he shouted. "Get help! Run away, now!"

"What about you?" Seira asked.

"No time! GO!" Hugo barked. Understanding the situation, Seira fled. But when she was a good distance away from the scene, she dove into the water, and rushed back as her mermaid self.

* * *

As Seira made her way back, Hugo collapsed from the barrage of mini's attacking him.

"Good. He's done."

"But where's that girl we were looking for? She disappeared," the mini's bickered.

"I'm right here," Seira proclaimed to surprise the water demon chibis, changing into her Pichi Pichi form.

_**"Orange Pearl Voice!"**_ Seira's outfit was very similar in style to Luchia and Hanon's, but orange.

When she finished transforming, she stood before the Linhua chibis, ready to sing.

"You hurt someone I care for. I won't forgive you this time," She declared.

" **Pichi Pichi Voice, Live Start!** "

And Seira sung her personal song, "Beautiful Wish".

_**Dareka no koe ni namae wo** _

_**Yobarete me wo samasu** _

_**Aoi nami ni ukubaku** _

_**umi no yurikago de** _

_**Yume wo miteta no** _

_**Kono umi no dokoka de ima** _

_**Arasou koe ga suru** _

_**Naiteru kokoro kara** _

_**Ai wa umarenai** _

_**Karashimi dake ga afurete shimau** _

_**Utsukushii umi no** _

_**Negai no kakera kara** _

_**Umarete yukitai** _

_**Hikari wo daite** _

_**Yuuyake ni somaru** _

_**ORENJI no umi ni wa** _

_**Sekai no namida nemutteru** _

It's power caused Linhua to merge back into one person. However, the song wasn't strong enough to force Linhua to retreat.

"Well done, mermaid princess," Linhua remarked with a grimace. "However, you did not do well enough. I was infused with some of your power by Mikeru-sama. So I can't be beaten by just you alone." Seira didn't like the odds this encounter created. If her songs weren't powerful enough, how could she last against Linhua?

"You need a lesson," Linhua continued. "And I shall teach it to you." Waving her fan, she scattered what looked like fluff over Seira. At first, they did nothing. But as more drifted onto her, they began to hurt. Linhua continued to harm Seira by fanning more of the stuff onto her.

"Don't you feel more beautiful now?" she asked the ailing mermaid princess. "Soon you will be a beautiful gift for Hishki-sama." Linhua was about to fan more of the stuff to make Seira pass out from the pain, until Hugo grabbed her wrist and tried to wrestle it out of her hand.

"Don't think I'm done yet," he growled. "I won't let you hurt her."

"Insolent brat!" Linhua responded seethingly. "Your lesson is over!" And she knocked him out with a menacing elbow blow.

"HUGO!" Seira cried out.

In that instant, her pearl radiated an extremely bright light. Linhua tried to shield her eyes from the light, while Seira stood gazing at a figure appearing from the light.

"Sara-san." The woman nodded in response. The Orange Pearl Mermaid Princess before Seira: Sara.

" _Seira, sing._ " she spoke.

"I did," Seira replied. "But, Linhua still has some of my power. I'm not able to beat her."

" _The power she has was when you were still learning how to love. But now you know,_ " Sara explained. " _Your song is stronger now. Your love for that boy empowers you. Do you love him?_ "

"Yes, Sara-san."

" _Then sing, using the power of your love._ " And Sara's image vanished.

Seira looked at her mic, as if to find the meaning behind Sara's words. How is she stronger than before? But when she looked at Hugo's crumpled figure, she realized what she meant. Seira had her power, just like Luchia and everyone else did.

With renewed energy, Seira sung once more. This time, her song described her discovery of love. What it meant to love, how it felt, and the joy it brought. Seira sung of how she would fight for this love and defend its purpose. Her new song overwhelmed Linhua.

"I have her power! How can I be losing to her?!" She complained.

When Seira finished, she called out, "Love Shower Pitch! Would you like an encore?"

"This isn't over! One day, you will learn that you cannot win. Not anymore!" Linhua declared. Then she disappeared in a flurry of butterflies.

* * *

As Hugo finally became conscious, he spotted a familiar face hovering over him. But as he saw more around him, he saw that the person had an orange tail instead of legs.

"Wh-Who are you?" he groaned. "I feel like I have met you before." The mermaid didn't respond. Seeing that he was alright, she returned to the sea.

"Wait!" Hugo called as he stood up.

The mermaid turned to him, and told him, "Come find me. I'll always be near." And she dove under the waves, leaving Hugo to try and understand the mysterious mermaid he had just met.

Figuring that people would be looking for him soon, Hugo began making his way back to the party. As he did, the image of the mermaid just now kept coming to mind. It somewhat haunted him, but in a good way. He yearned to find this mermaid again.

In his pondering, he heard Seira call out to him. Then he saw her rushing up to him.

"You're okay," she said with relief, panting as she approached.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Hugo returned with a shrug. "Seems you are too."

"Yes. I ran for the mansion, but I got worried that something would happen to you. So I ran back." Hugo felt touched. But then Seira's pendant caught his eye. It looked the same as the mermaid's pendant. But Hugo shrugged off the idea.

"Let's find your friend Meru," Hugo suggested. "The sun's starting to set, and the party should be ending soon."

"Alright." And so Hugo escorted Seira back to the manse.

* * *

The next school day, Seira was walking along a fuming Meru.

"I really don't like that boy," she mumbled aloud. "He takes you somewhere, away from me, then comes back near the end like he had it all planned out."

"Meru, please. It wasn't like that," Seira tried to tell her friend. When they had gotten back from the party, Seira told everyone about her encounter with the water demon. The news put everyone on edge, now that they were aware that Dr. Hishki had revived Mikeru's three servants. Which made it clear that being near the sea from here on would be risky. But Meru, and even Hippo, were really upset that Seira went off alone with Hugo.

As the two approached the gates, they ran into Hugo, all dressed up again.

"So, how did you enjoy the party the other day?" he asked.

"It was fine." Meru huffed.

"It was great. Thank you for inviting us." Seira spoke to draw attention away from Meru. But when she did, she noticed Hugo staring at her weirdly. And she began to wonder if he was thinking about her mermaid self.

But then Hugo shrugged and said nonchalantly, "Well, see you in class." And as Meru continued to seethe at his behavior, Seira couldn't help but hope.

Someday, maybe she and Hugo would be like Luchia and Kaito.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment, and hope you enjoyed.


	6. Little Ones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luchia and Kaito are tasked with watching over Mikaru while Rihito is out of town, but one of them is worried about what they may be like.

* * *

Up in her room, Luchia was enjoying a relaxing bath. She was enjoying herself so much, that she was singing her personal song, "Koi wa Nandarou." She enjoyed singing so much that, when Hippo intruded, she freaked out from being interrupted.

"Get out, pervert!" she squealed as she splashed him.

"Luchia-san, listen!" Hippo scolded after shaking off the water. "Kaito-san came by and said he wanted to see you."

"You couldn't have waited until I got out to tell me?" Luchia said, grumbling. Slightly embarrassed, Hippo took off, closing the door behind him. Still, the news did cause Luchia to ponder. What was Kaito wanting to see her for?

After finishing her bath, Luchia got dressed and went to meet Kaito.

"There you are," Kaito greeted as she came downstairs.

"Is something the matter, Kaito?" Luchia asked.

"Naw. Rihito-san is heading out of town for a little while to conduct a concert, but he can't bring Mikaru along with him," he informed. "He asked if I could watch her while he was gone. I said I would."

"That's wonderful Kaito!" Luchia beamed. "Mikaru will definitely love having you around."

"Yeah but... He also asked if you could come and watch her with me," Kaito added. "So I wanted to come and ask: would you like to help me watch Mikaru?"

"Yeah! It'll be fun," Luchia answered, beaming.

"Great! I'll come pick you up tomorrow then. We'll be staying at their mansion, so don't forget to pack." And with their last farewell, Kaito left the hotel.

Feeling giddy all of a sudden, Luchia went upstairs to pack.

* * *

"Luchia-san, is it really a good idea to watch Mikaru with Kaito?" Hippo questioned.

"It will be fine. Besides, it should be a lot of fun taking care of Mikaru," Luchia assured, picking clothes from her closet for staying overnight at Rihito's place.

"But what if, by some chance, she remembers her old life and hates you again?" Hippo brought up worriedly.

"That won't happen," Luchia assured, still deciding on what clothes to pack.

"Hmm, what is this I see?" Taki muttered, appearing all of a sudden in the room.

"T-Taki-san!" Luchia exclaimed at the sudden appearance. "What are you doing in my room?!"

"A dark tide flows in unexpectedly," she answered mysteriously, "I must understand its intent." Plucking some feathers from Hippo, she mumbled, "Nandabadaba, Pichi Pichi!" Hippo vaulted up in anguish from having his feathers plucked and collided into the ceiling.

Rubbing the stuff together, Taki ascertained, "It says no harm will come to any of you."

"As I thought," Luchia proclaimed proudly. "You were worried over nothing, Hippo."

"Probably," Hippo replied sheepishly.

"What's this?! Something else is presenting itself," Taki gasped. Taking another tuft from Hippo (causing him to vault a second time), she attempted to better understand the prediction.

"I see," she spoke at last. "It says that Mikaru will have a fated encounter with a being from the sea."

"A being of the sea?" Luchia muttured in contemplation. But then she thought, _What if it's one of the water demons? Could Taki-san's prediction be right this time?_

"Who this being is, I'm not sure. So I'll check one more time," Taki told Luchia. But rather than have more of his feathers pulled out, Hippo raced out of the room to escape Taki. Unable to clarify her prediction even more so, Taki left as well.

Luchia didn't know whether to believe Taki's fortune or not this time. But if Mikaru was supposed to meet a being from the sea, she would make sure it wasn't Lady Bat or the other Winged Ones.

"I will protect Mikaru. I won't let her remember them," she promised herself.

* * *

The next day, both Luchia and Kaito were waiting outside Rihito's manse to be let in. Luchia felt extremely nervous about what she was going to do. What if this was a bad idea? Would she be able to take care of Mikaru with Kaito, or would she just get in the way? But she shook the idea out of her head. No way was she going to be a burden.

"Relax," Kaito urged her. "Mikaru doesn't remember her past life. She won't remember you when she sees you." Just then, Rihito appeared in the doorway to let the two in.

"Kaito-san!" came an excited Mikaru. "You came!"

"Were you expecting me, Mikaru?" Kaito inquired of the youngster as she came up to him.

"Yes yes! Onii-sama told me you would be coming over," the little girl jabbered on, excitedly.

"Hello there, Mikaru," Luchia greeted. Upon seeing the new face, Mikaru became very confused and a little nervous.

"Onii-sama, Kaito-san, who is this person?" she asked.

"Be polite Mikaru," Rihito told her. "That's Luchia-san. I told you Kaito might be bringing her over to help."

"Oh. Hello, Luchia-san." With that settled, Rihito began to explain Kaito's and Luchia's responsibilities while they were there. He also explained that they could go into town with Mikaru, but that they had to be especially careful when they did. Once the three were clear on what they were supposed to do, Rihito gave Mikaru one last farewell before taking off.

"Kaito-san, are we going to play a lot today?" Mikaru asked eagerly.

"Yeah. We'll be able to play as much as you want," Kaito replied. "All three of us are going to have a blast."

"Hooray!" Then Mikaru went over to Luchia and asked her, "Luchia-san, you're going to play with us too, right?"

"Of course. I'll play with you as much as you want. Just like Kaito said we will," she answered cheerfully.

"Yay! Play! Play!" And with that, the day had begun.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Before she knew it, Luchia got pulled into all sorts of activities and games with Mikaru. They would be playing hide-and-seek, dress-up, play cooking. Sometimes, Kaito got roped into all the fun too. At some points during the time, Mikaru would faint and worry Luchia and Kaito, until she revealed that she was playing around. But in all, Luchia couldn't believe how much fun they were having.

Near the end of the day, Mikaru began to grow tired and sleepy. So Luchia took Mikaru up to bed for the night.

As she began tucking in the little tyke, Mikaru requested, "Luchia-san, can you sing a song for me?"

"Sing a song?" Luchia repeated, perplexed by the request.

"Yes. Onii-sama said you sing a lot. And he said all I had to do was ask, and you would. Please, will you sing for me?" Luchia was very surprised that Mikaru would ask her to sing. But if this was because Rihito had told her, then she figured it was alright.

"Okay. But if I sing for you, can you promise to go to sleep?" she asked.

"I promise." Mikaru promised.

Taking a deep breath, Luchia began to sing a slow version of "Legend of Mermaid," singing it like a lullaby.

_**Nanairo no kaze ni fukarete** _

_**Tooi mizaki wo mezashiteta** _

_**Yoakae mae kikoeta MERODII** _

_**Sore wa totemo natsukashii uta** _

As she sang, she suddenly envisioned her and Mikaru, together. But Mikaru was older, Luchia's age even. She saw the two of them playing at the beach, shopping, and spending time with their friends. It was almost as if the song brought up visions of what could have been if Luchia and Mikaru had been friends.  
Before Luchia reached the chorus of the song, she noticed that the real Mikaru was fast asleep. So she smiled, and finished her song.

_**Nanatsu no umi no rakuen** _

_**Arashi no yoru no ato ni wa** _

_**Ai wo tsutaeru tame** _

_**Inochi gam mata umareru** _

_**Nanatsu no kuni no MERODIA** _

_**Daremo ga itsuka wa koko wo** _

_**Tabidatsu hi ga kitemo** _

_**Watashi wa wasurenai** _

When she was done, Luchia whispered, "Sweet dreams, Mikaru." And she left the room.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Luchia found Kaito waiting for her in the living room.

"Mikaru's asleep, huh?" he inquired.

"Yeah. She wanted me to sing for her before she did," Luchia told him.

Kaito chuckled, then said, "That's good. I'm glad Mikaru is getting used to you. To be honest, I was a little worried that she would act like before." That was a concern Luchia had secretly held when coming over; that Mikaru would cling to Kaito like she did in her past life. but, she was glad when that wasn't the case this time.

As the night wore on, Luchia offered to cook dinner for her and Kaito. But just before she could prep any food, the phone rang.

"Hello. This is Luchia," she answered.

"LUCHIA! WHERE DID YOU DISAPPEAR TO?!" Nikora came over the line.

"I'm out somewhere with Kaito. We're just getting dinner," Luchia answered, reeling a little from the loud response.

"Don't think you can fool me! Hippo told me you're at someone's place, watching someone called Mikaru," Nikora reprimanded.

"Hippo!" Luchia gasped. Whenever Luchia did something behind Nikora's back, she usually had Hippo keep his beak shut on what she was doing. Apparently, that didn't happen this time.

"We're getting swamped with customers, and Hanon and Seira can't take care of them all. I've had to call Rina in to help too," Nikora explained. "I need you to get back here, NOW!"

"But, Onee-sama, I promised Rihito-san I would look after Mikaru," Luchia pleaded. "Can't I stay over for a little bit longer?"

With a heavy sigh, Nikora replied, "If you can help us get a handle on business tonight, I'll let you go back."

"Thank you, Onee-sama," Luchia cried out.

* * *

After letting Kaito know about her change of plans, Luchia returned to Pearl Piari. She thought that she would only have to do one or two things and be back before she knew it. Not the case. Nikora had Luchia work just as hard as Seira and the others. She was doing room service at one point, cleaning rooms at another, and helping Nikora in the kitchen sometime later. She was being run ragged.

At close to 10 o'clock, Luchia had done about everything Nikora needed her to do.

She was just heading out when Nikora chastised, "Where do you think you are going? You're not done yet."

"Aw! But I did everything you asked me to do!" Luchia complained. "What more do you need me to do?"

"We're having an idol concert for our late-night guests. You're still needed in that," Nikora informed, her arms crossed.

"Geez." Facing little choice, Luchia slumped back inside.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

In the backstage area, all three girls transformed into their Pichi Pichi forms. Another way Nikora ran business at the hotel was having the mermaid princesses perform in an idol concert. It was always such a huge success, so she would have them perform for special events and large crowds of customers.

Today was no exception. As Luchia peeked out to the crowd, she moaned at the crowd of customers waiting to listen to her, Hanon, and Rina.

"Aw! There are so many people!" Luchia groaned.

"Lighten up Luchia," Hanon chastised, "we only have to sing one or two songs. Then you'll be back with Kaito."

"That is unless Nikora-san has us go all night," Rina pointed out.

"But I can't do this all night!" Luchia griped. "I'm supposed to be caring for Mikaru!" Rina and Hanon just sighed. When Luchia was committed to something, she was rather stubborn about it.

But then, it was time to go onstage. For their first song, Luchia sung "Koi wa Nandarou?" with Hanon and Rina accompanying.

_**Kitte muno no hajikete tobichuru nandarou** _

_**Furete mune no chiisaku moeteru atsui honou konna kimochi hajimete na no yo** _

_**Utaidashitara tomaranai odoridashitara tomaranai** _

_**Modorenai magarenai suki ni narazu ni irenai** _

_**Aoi umi no oyogu SANGO no** _

_**Himitsu tsugeru koi wo shitta no** _

_**Atashi motto utaitsudzukeru** _

_**Kono mune no tokimeki mo ageru** _

The crowd cheered as they sang, enjoying the music and the girls. When Luchia finished her song, Rina took over and began her song "Fated Love."  
But while she was singing her solo, Hanon whispered to Luchia, "We'll take care of this. Go back to Kaito and Mikaru." Thanking her friends, Luchia slipped off stage and raced back to the manse.

* * *

The next morning, Luchia awoke to the sound of something sizzling. Sitting up, she saw Kaito in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

"Morning sleepyhead," he welcomed.

With a huge yawn, Luchia got up from sleeping on the couch and returned, "Good morning, Kaito. Um, what are you doing?"

"Making breakfast. What else does it look like, silly?" Kaito answered her question. Then perked up and mentioned, "Oh yeah, the Spring Festival is starting today?"

"Spring Festival?" Luchia quizzed.

"I was thinking, we could take Mikaru to it. She might really enjoy it," he suggested to her.

"That sounds perfect, Kaito! Mikaru would love the Spring Festival," Luchia spoke happily.

"There's something else," Kaito said, slightly hushed. "I want to show her something. Something I saw at the last festival." As he set the pan with the breakfast down, Kaito whispered his plan to Luchia.

* * *

That night, Luchia, Kaito, and Mikaru were strolling through the stand occupied venues. Mikaru looked on in awe at everything she saw. There were food carts, gift stands, even an aquatic stand selling pet fish.

"Wow! This is so amazing!" Mikaru exclaimed as she marveled all the sights and sounds around her.

"Do you like it, Mikaru?" Luchia asked.

"Yes yes! I like it so much!" Luchia felt very happy that Mikaru was having so much fun here.

"Ah Luchia," Kaito spoke to her, "I think I saw something fishy back at one of the stalls. Could you check it out for me?" Luchia was puzzled by Kaito's question, until he winked at her. The signal!

"Okay Kaito. I'll be right back," she replied. And she took off.

"Luchia-san!" Mikaru called out to her. But Luchia just kept on going.

"She'll be back Mikaru," Kaito assured. "Follow me. There's something I want to show you."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Luchia hurried through the plaza, heading for the coast to start Kaito's plan. Earlier, Kaito had requested that she met Mikaru as her mermaid self. At first, Luchia was unsure about the idea. But Kaito told her that he told Mikaru the story of when he was rescued by her when he was little. When he did, Mikaru suddenly became interested. She had even told Kaito that she wanted to see one if she could. So Kaito thought that she could meet Luchia in the same way he met her during the Spring Festival. And Luchia agreed to it.

But as Luchia went through town, she accidentally bumped into someone.

"Ouch!" she groaned. When she noticed who she bumped into, she saw that it was Hugo.

"Hey! Watch where you're-" he began to yell. That was, until he saw that it was Luchia.

"Hugo, is something wrong?" came Seira's voice. Then she came out of the store behind Hugo, surprised to see Luchia.

"Luchia! What are you doing here?" Seira inquired.

After soothing her injury, Luchia answered, "I'm here with Kaito and Mikaru. We wanted to show Mikaru around the festival."

"Wait, are you saying THE Mikaru is here?" Hugo questioned strongly. This surprised Luchia and Seira quite a bit.

"Hugo, do you know Mikaru?" Seira asked.

"Only from my parents," he told her. "They said she was a part of a rich family, but that she was always ill. Her chances of recovering were slim. So I'm a little surprised that she's up and about." At that point, Luchia remembered that she was in a hurry. With a quick farewell, Luchia raced for the ocean.

* * *

Before she entered the ocean, Luchia took a deep breath.

_No turning back now._ She told herself. Then she dove under, instantly changing into her mermaid self. She was just about to make her way to the secret inlet, when bats started swarming in front of her, forming Lady Bat.

"This time, I'll capture you, Mermaid Princess," she beckoned evilly. "And you won't be able to resist my allure."

"Lady Bat!" Luchia exclaimed. "What are you dong here?"

"Fulfilling Hishki-sama's wishes, Now, prepare yourself!" But as Lady Bat was preparing her dark song, Luchia tried to flee in the other direction. But then Linhua appeared, blocking her escape.

"And where do you think you are going, Mermaid Princess?" the butterfly demon taunted. Luchia was shocked to find two water demons trying to capture her. But as Linhua split into her mini-selves, Luchia tried going to shore. This time, Arara got in the way.

"You don't want to miss the fun, don't you?" she teased. "Because all of us will capture you this time." Then she activated a remote, and a small robot floated up, blocking off Luchia's last escape.

Now that she was surrounded, all three water demons began to sing their songs. With the fusion of the three songs being sung together, Luchia began having trouble bearing with their power. The robot made things worse, amplifying their power through its speakers like a boom box.

As she was reaching her limit, Luchia cried out, "KAITO!"

* * *

As soon as Kaito heard his name get called out, he knew things were bad.

_Luchia's in danger._ he figured. _I have to go save her. But, what about Mikaru?_ They had reached the inlet where Luchia was supposed to meet them. But he couldn't leave Mikaru alone out here. Rihito had told him and Luchia to care for her at all times. This was quite the dilemma.

"Kaito-san, what are we doing here?" Mikaru finally inquired, noticing Kaito's grim expression. Now Kaito faced an impossible decision. He couldn't tell her nothing was wrong, she already knew something was wrong. But he couldn't tell her that Luchia was in danger either. And the only other solution risked Luchia turning into bubbles.

Fortunately, there came a fourth option just walking up to them. As soon as Hugo and Seira came up to him, They were puzzled to find Kaito and Mikaru here.

"Kaito? What are you doing here?" Seira inquired.

"I'm meeting Luchia here," he answered. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to take Seira someplace private where we could hang out normally," Hugo replied. "I remembered this place when I was very little. But I didn't think anyone else would be here."

"Kaito-san, who are these people?" Mikaru asked, worried by the intrusion. But this was the turn of events Kaito needed.

Turning to Mikaru, Kaito requested, "Mikaru, I need you to stay here with these guys. They're friends of mine. They'll keep you safe. I need to go find Luchia."

Mikaru didn't understand much about the situation, but she was willing to stay if Kaito trusted Hugo and Seira. With matters settled, Kaito took off in the direction Luchia's call came from. Seira, sensing the conflict Luchia was in, took off shortly after he went. Leaving Hugo to watch Mikaru.

* * *

Back at the trap, Luchia was on the verge of passing out from the water demon's dark songs.

"Heh heh. All too easy," Lady Bat chuckled.

"We should do this more. Then we can capture the Mermaid Princesses easily," Arara said gleefully.

"What a beautiful idea," Linhua agreed after merging back into one. That was when they heard Kaito call out, and spotted him swimming over to them.

"What do we have here?" Lady Bat taunted as Kaito approached.

"Let Luchia go!" Kaito demanded. The three water demons just laughed at the demand, humored by some human boy's bravado.

"You have some guts boy. But what makes you think we'll listen to you?" Lady Bat responded, unperturbed. Then, a strong light began to radiate from Kaito, surprising the Winged Ones.

"I said, let Luchia go!" Kaito roared. "LUCHIA!" Then, the symbol on his forehead radiated a strong light over the water demons. Its power shattered the robot aiding them, and woke Luchia up.

When Luchia spotted Kaito using his Panterassa powers, she called back, "KAITO!" The force of the power pushed the three water demons away, then began to fade. As it did, Kaito slumped forward from exhaustion. Using his Panterassa powers always drained him. Luchia immediately swam over to him, and was quickly met by Seira. Luchia and Seira both knew Kaito would be alright, his powers only exhausted him. In fact, he was already starting to wake up.

"Thank you, Kaito," Luchia said to him.

"Don't thank me yet. Take care of those three first," Kaito reminded.

"Right." Then, Luchia turned to Seira and asked, "Are you ready, Seira?"

"Ready, Luchia." Seira answered. And they transformed into their idol forms.

**"Pink Pearl Voice!"**   
**"Orange Pearl Voice!"**

After Seira and Luchia transformed into their second forms, they faced off against the three Winged Ones.

"What do you think you can do?" Lady Bat taunted. "The two of you can't beat us."

"Yeah! Looks like you're all washed up," Arara added.

"That's what you think," Seira returned. "But this time, our power is greater than you think."

"And now we will show you how much stronger we are." Luchia finished.

**"Pichi Pichi Voice, Live Start!"**

The song the two sung this time was "Perfect Harmony".

_**Arashi no umi ni utarete makesou na ima wo** _

_**Furiharae ai wo mitsumete kono mune ni** _

_**Tachiagaru yo nando demo yakusoku no tame ni** _

_**Shakunetsu no RAITO wo abite shibuki ga mau** _

_**Taiyou yori mo atsuku atsuku atsuku** _

_**Utagoe wa motto takaku takaku takaku** _

_**Ima koso ima koso** _

_**Hageshii KODOU afuredasu ai no MERODII** _

_**Takanau KODOU shinjitsu wa tatta hitotsu** _

_**Kumori no nai kagami ni utsushite** _

_**Tsutaware KODOU wakiagaru ai no chikara** _

_**Soshite umareru atsui PAAFEKUTO HAAMONII** _

Despite that it was only two Mermaid Princesses singing, their power was enough to give the Winged Ones splitting headaches.

"You two shouldn't have underestimated them," Linhua critiqued her comrades, "They seem to have gotten stronger since we last met them."

As the duet finished, they called out, "Love Shower Pitch! Encore wa ika ga?" Unable to bear the combined suffering and humiliation, the three disappeared in their particular fashions. Luchia sighed with relief at their retreat,glad for them to be gone at last.

* * *

Hugo was very upset that Kaito, some surfing jock, and his newest friend and who may be an interest, Seira, would leave him to watch a little kid. Even if it was the girl Mikaru he had heard about. It was appalling. But before long, Kaito came back like he promised, looking rather soaked.

"Mikaru!" he called out to her.

"Kaito-san!" Mikaru cheered back cheerfully. As she went back to him, Hugo was glad to have been done babysitting.

All of a sudden, as he looked out to sea, he spotted what looked like an orange tail darting behind one of the rocks.

Then, a memory flashed through his mind of the mermaid who saved him. So he dashed out to where the tail disappeared. When he did, he found her as if she had been waiting for him.

"You are real," Hugo gasped. But Seira turned away, like she was about to dive away. "W-Wait please!" Hugo urgently called. "I've wanted to find you ever since we first met." Hugo thought he was being stupid, talking to a mermaid like it was love at first sight. But he couldn't help it. He had yearned to see this mermaid again after their first encounter.

Turning to face him, Seira told him, "I have wanted to see you again too. But I was afraid you had forgotten me, so I stayed away."

"I could never forget you," Hugo said with conviction. "I never want to forget you, and will do everything I can to do so." It was at that moment, that Seira kissed Hugo. A rush of feelings raced into Hugo, and his mind felt like mush. Then Seira disappeared beneath the waves. And Hugo was left longing to find her even more.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

During that whole exchange, Kaito made sure Mikaru was alright. He had left her rather suddenly, so he was worried that she may have been rattled. But Mikaru seemed to understand Kaito's reasons, and replied that everything was alright.

It was then that the two of them heard a voice, singing.

"Huh? What is that singing?" Mikaru asked.

_Just as planned._ Kaito thought. "Let's go see." he suggested. Taking Mikaru's hand, Kaito led her to the source of the voice.

When they found where it was coming from, they found a mermaid with a pink tail singing on one of the rocks. Mikaru could not believe her eyes. But she knew she was seeing a real mermaid.

"So pretty!" Mikaru exclaimed in delight. Luchia stopped singing, and saw her two onlookers. then she dove away. "Wait!" Mikaru called out.

"She can't stay here too long Mikaru," Kaito explained. "She had to return home, before anyone else found her."

"Kaito-san, do you know that mermaid?" Mikaru wondered.

"Yeah," Kaito told her. "She was the one. the one who saved me, long ago." Mikaru was astonished that the mermaid they just saw was the same one from Kaito's story. But she was super excited to have met her.

And Kaito spotted Luchia, hidden somewhat out behind the rocks. Looking on at him like before, with a longing to be with Kaito for reals. And now, she hoped the same for Mikaru.


End file.
